


Spirits: Book One - The Avatar State

by Kuaishu



Series: Spirits Trilogy [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Avatar State, Blood and Violence, F/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Spirit World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-03-28
Packaged: 2019-12-25 20:17:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 127,940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuaishu/pseuds/Kuaishu
Summary: It's been four years since the end of the Hundred Year War, and even as the world starts to heal, an ancient and evil force awakens, striving to destroy everything that Avatar Aang and his companions had achieved since the fall of Ozai. How is the world supposed to fight back? How can the Gaang stick together? Especially when the Avatar himself proves to be the greatest threat of all.





	1. The Firelord's Descent

**Author's Note:**

> This story was started before the end of the Smoke & Spirits graphic novel, so assumptions were made for the ending and as such it will not line up with canon from S&S Part 3 onward. Originally posted on FF.net, of which there are now three parts.
> 
> The story includes minor character death, much angst, and violence, including mature scenes later on.

There were a great many places in the world that shimmered and glowed with their natural beauty, but within that world came a humanity that, in itself, strived for beauty as great as any that could be produced with the changing of the elements and the passing of time. There were people in this world who were able to control said elements, and just as time made the forest grander, it made talent more refined. After many thousands of years of practice with the elements, and generations of knowlege passed down, a group of these element benders came together, and with fire and earth they created a hall every bit as beautiful as any of the flower dotted fields and snow tipped mountains that nature had curated. The height of the hall was impressive in itself, reaching up in the blue sky above as if aiming for the sun. The ceiling was a magical fete of fire and earth engineering, with striking white marble interlacing the large areas of deeply stained glass. When the light shone through it left a ring of warm, comforting colour across the very centre of the hall, and surrounding that ring, stalls of pure green stone lined it. And it was upon one of these stalls, head resting against the palm of his hand and his fingers nonchalantly scratching at the stone, the Avatar sat.

It wasn't to say that the Avatar didn't appreciate the beauty of the place. He, as much as any, admired the art of bending and the many marvelous things that had come as a result of it. But, as he sat in this hall for the fourth day in a row, his rump growing numb on the cold hard stone, it was difficult to truly appreciate his surroundings.

The Avatar and one of his closest friends sat side by side, one definitely more attentive than the other. The Firelord, a tall dark haired man with a scar across one side of his face, sat straight and proud, his alert amber eyes flicking from face to face as the audience around them spoke, occasionally nodding, other times shaking his head in disagreement. For the Avatar, a young man of sixteen with a bald head and an even bolder blue tattoo, the discussions at hand were growing tiresome.

"The exportation of goods from this City to others is beginning to vastly outnumber the amount of goods we are having imported into the City," said one of the men sat in the ring of green stalls. With chin length grey hair brushed sharply back from his face, and dark black eyes piercing out into his audience, the man was certainly one of the more intimidating in the room. "It seems to me that Yu Dao has become expected to support the Colonies that surround it, rather than allowing us to become the economical capital that we always planned to be."

To his right, Avatar Aang felt the Firelord stir, almost as if he had been suppressing a sigh.

"Yuddha, we agreed from the beginning that Yu Dao would be an example to the surviving Colonies. As the largest Colony remaining in the Earth Kingdom, it is the city's duty to support the Colonies that surround it."

"Yes, but we are providing this support for _free_ , Firelord Zuko," Yuddha continued, his dark eyes boaring into Zuko's bright amber ones. "I don't know how you expect our city to thrive when you continue to give over half of our supplies to other villages. It just doesn't make economic sense."

"But without Yu Dao's support how can we expect for the neighbouring colonies to expand?" Zuko explained, exasperated. "The Fire Nation will continue to give support, and until we hear word from the Earth King we can't be the only ones willing to do that."

"And what of the other nations? I don't see the Northern Water Tribe, prosperous as they are, chipping into to help this new republic of yours. And the Air Nation remains absent ... for obvious reasons."

Aang sensed eyes turn towards him, and his hands quickly stopped their disinterested scratching at the table. Zuko raised his eyebrows pointedly, growing clearly exasperated with the young Avatar's lack of involvement in discussions, and swallowing Aang sat up.

"I can't ask the Northern Water Tribe for help until we have something we can involve them in," he said, turning his attention to Yuddha. "This colony is still one of Earth and Fire Nation occupation, and until we can prove that this idea is viable I'm not sure I can pursuade the Chief Arnook to drop his own priorities in his city."

"Either you want this to be a republic of all nations," Yuddha said quietly, his gaze not leaving Aang's, "or you want it to be a city for Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom. You can't have it both ways."

"Look, we appreciate the Firelord's involvement in helping Yu Dao to grow," spoke another, this time a woman of short stature with a round plump face, "but if you keep asking us to give our crops and iron away then I don't think we will be able to support ourselves for much longer. And, no disrespect to the Firelord, but I hear that his Nation isn't exactly full of joy over how much of his time he's been giving to the Earth Kingdom of late?"

It certainly was true. The events of the past few months had been difficult for many, but none had been affected quite as much as the Firelord had been. Just one month ago he had been forced to put his entire capital into strict curfew, none able to leave or enter the city for two very long and stressful weeks, after his estranged and insane sister had helped in a plot to overrun Zuko and relieve him of his position on the throne. The culprits had been banished from the Fire Nation, and among those banished had been the Firelord's own ex girlfriend. The scandal was growing almost too much for Zuko to control, with some saying he had no control over his friends let alone his people, and others saying that he had already become too much like his father. His father who had banished him, as a thirteen year old boy, for simply speaking out of turn. Aang knew the amount of stress that Zuko was under was in part responsible for how belligerently he seemed to be trying to force through settlements and agreements in Yu Dao surrounding the public, but he also saw that the young king was swiftly starting to unravel at the seems.

"You let me worry about the Fire Nation, Ela," Zuko said, his voice coming out much colder than he had perhaps intended. "My people have been through a very difficult time over the past few months with the fear that the Kemurikage may have returned, and they understand that this coalition will only help to fight against any future threats our nation, or yours, may meet."

"And if this coalition is to continue you must understand that your control over your people is very much our concern," Ela snapped in return, her eyes darting from Zuko to her husband, the mayor of the city, sat to her side. At this, Aang felt a rush of annoyance, and sympathy towards his friend. His brow narrowed.

"The fact is without Yu Dao's support and example we can't hope for any of the colonies to follow suit," he said sharply. Beside him Zuko sighed. "This new world is about inclusiveness," Aang continued, indifferent to the Firelord's discomfort. "And yes that involves some sacrifices! Where do you think Yu Dao would have been if Zuko had refused to help after you both nearly destroyed each other?"

A silence fell over the room in that moment, both irritated and guilty faces exchanging covert glances. But Yuddha kept his gaze forward, looking coldly between the two leaders at his head.

"With respect Avatar Aang, you do not have to live in this city," he said. "Our citizens are unhappy with so much of our products being given away for free. And further more, you do not know what it's like to have a family to feed, and how devastating it can be to be asked to give half of what you produce each day to a cause that the Avatar and the Firelord deem worthy but that they see little benefit to."

Aang could feel Zuko practically wilt beside him, his proud stature hunching and a tired look returning to his face.

"I'm sorry, but I propose at this stage that either we halt our support to the colonies, or we get a fair trade and profit for all that we send out."

In dismay Aang watched as the Mayor of the Yu Dao, Mayor Morishita, stood. "All those in favour of this proposal, please raise your hands."

Yuddha, Ela, and the two other representatives in the room raised their hands, whilst Aang and Zuko remained silent.

"Motion passed."

It was in an uncomfortable silence that Aang and Zuko left that dazzling hall for the forth time, Aang looking up at his friend who kept his dull gaze forward. It had taken weeks to persuade the Yu Dao council to voluntarily offer support to surrounding colonies, and it had been a win that had lay down the foundations of all that he and Zuko had planned for the future of the world and the Fire Nation's place within it. It had been a decidedly happier time, Zuko had not long ago found his mother alive and well in the small Fire Nation Town Hura'a, and that he also had a young half sister, Kiyi, and his happiness over the discovery had been part of the fuel that inevitably led to their successful negotiations with the Yu Dao capital. But now, all that negotiation seemed to have been for nothing.

"Zuko, don't worry," Aang attempted after a while, as they walked down the quiet alley that led to the inn they were staying at. "Just because they've pulled their support doesn't mean we have to."

"You don't understand, Aang," Zuko said, his voice all but shaking with the emotion he was holding back. "The only way I could keep my financial advisers happy about this decision was because Yu Dao was covering some of the costs. Yu Dao was the one thing that I'd managed to get right, and now it's fallen apart just like everything else."

Aang fell silent, not knowing what he could say at that point.

"And Ela was right," Zuko continued without prompt. "My people don't trust me. Maybe they did before the whole Kemurikage incident, but after Azula, and Mai ..." he voice trembled.

"Look, you did what you had to do with Azula," Aang interrupted. "You tried, we all did, but there was just no way she could be free and the rest of your family, or anyone else for that matter, could be safe. Locking her away was the only thing you could do."

"And Mai?" Zuko asked, his voice bitter. Aang hesitated.

"You're the Firelord," he replied. "You had to do what you felt was right."

At that Zuko let out a cold bark of laughter. "So you think it was wrong of me to banish her as well?"

"I ... I don't know if I would have banished her," Aang admitted. "I know she lied to you, but she was just trying to protect her father-"

"Who was a traitor!" Zuko yelled, stopping in his tracks and turning to glare at Aang. "A traitor who kidnapped Kiyi, or have you forgotten?"

Aang closed his eyes, looking away and sighing. "I'm not excusing what he did, Zuko."

A silence fell over the pair once more, before Zuko finally lowered his fists, turning his face away from Aang's and looking in the direction they had been headed.

"It doesn't matter now, anyway," he said, his voice low. "I've lost Mai and the trust of my people, and now we've lost the one deal that kept this coalition turning. It's done, and now we just need to work out how we're going to compensate."

"You haven't lost the trust of your people," Aang replied. "Perhaps you really should put your focus on the Fire Nation again. The coalition is still peaceful, and I'm sure once Yu Dao starts to get all this profit they're banging on about we can start to grow it again."

Dismissively Zuko nodded, and the pair made their way back to the Inn. It was in silence again that they ate their meal cooked by the landlady, Kama, and later that night Aang sat down heavily at the desk in his temporary room, uttering a long, low sigh, before reaching to grab ink and a quill.

Whilst Zuko was dealing with his own inner demons, Aang too had found himself struggling of late. Almost two months back, just as they were due to finally visit the Southern Water Tribe once more, Aang had been called by Zuko and been forced to say goodbye to Katara. It was the first time they had been separated for any real length of time since the war had actually ended nearly four years back. Of course, they hadn't been glued at the hip, but certainly they had never gone longer than two days without seeing each other. It had been his first bitter awakening of what his future possibly held. He certainly couldn't expect Katara to follow him everywhere he went, not when she had her own family and responsibilities that were becoming more and more urgent of late. As he had left on Appa that day she had hugged him and told him that it was just part of dating the the Avatar, and her words had hit him like a stab in the gut. They had been exchanging letters weekly ever since Aang had arrived back in the Fire Nation, at first just to keep her informed of what was happening, before finally having to tell her that he wasn't sure when he would get a chance to come and see them in the Southern Water Tribe. It wasn't just that he had a responsibility to try and help smooth things over in Yu Dao. With Zuko being as heartbroken as he was he didn't feel that he could, in good conscience, leave his friend alone so soon after he had cemented the breakup between him and Mai. In truth, they had all expected the pair of them to reconcile, but when Mai returned with a new boyfriend it had seemed unlikely until, finally, Zuko had discovered that she had lied about her fathers involvement with the kidnapping of children in the Fire Nation, including his sister Kiyi. After apprehending Azula and getting the truth, he had locked her up, and Mai's father, and with a dead look on his face he had ordered Mai to leave the Capital and to never again return. Her mother and brother, Tom-Tom, had left too, and it was at that point that Zuko seemed to spiral into his pit of self hatred and disappointment. By all accounts, the only people that remained that Zuko felt he could have trust in, were his family, Suki, and Aang. And whilst Suki and the Kyoshi Warriors remained back in the Fire Nation to watch over Zuko's family, Aang had come along to Yu Dao, as much for emotional support as to assist with discussions. And so, Aang finished up his letter to Katara explaining that he still had no real idea when he would be able to leave.

Despite the clear fact that the council weren't willing to help their surrounding colonies, there were still other things that needed to be discussed. Satoru, a young man with whom his friend and past Earthbending teacher had partnered with, was hoping to help the Yu Dao mines to expand, making use of his technology that allowed even non-benders to work the mines. The pair were expected to arrive in Yu Dao in the next couple of days, and both he and Zuko were expected to remain at least for that. But as excited as Aang was to see Toph again after many months of being apart, he still couldn't find himself wishing that he, Appa, and Momo would be heading south instead. With a small sigh, Aang began to roll his litter to Katara, tying it off neatly with string, and putting it aside to take down to the postal room the next morning.

Kicking off his boots he started to make his way to the wash room, before he was called to a halt by a shrill series of hoots and chittering. He looked back to see Momo, standing on his back legs, scratching and sniffing at the closed wooden blinds, before turning his wide intelligent eyes back to Aang. Curious, Aang walked forward, leaning over his bed to push open the window, only to jump back in surprise as a large hawk urgently bustled through, screeching all the way. Momo snapped and flapped his arms angrily.

"Whoa, relax Momo!" Aang laughed, reaching out for the hawk that had alighted on his desk. Around one of its legs was a small leather cylinder, and ignoring the hawk tentatively mouthing the back of his hand, he opened it up and pulled out the note inside.

_Avatar Aang,_

_Mahi Kah is under attack, please come urgently._

_Mayor Tarutr_

Surprised Aang swiftly shoved the note into his pocket, reaching back round to grab his discarded boots and pulling them on with such haste that he almost toppled. Grabbing his staff he paused only to pet an irritated Momo on the head.

"Gotta go, buddy. Don't fight you two!" Swiftly he jumped through his open window, opening his glider as he fell and shooting off across the swiftly darkening evening sky.

It wasn't the first time since the end of the War that Aang had been called away on urgent business, but this was the first time he'd specifically been asked to come to the aid of a village under attack. To say it worried him would be an understatement, but Mahi Kah was the closest coaliton village to Yu Dao, and at his speed little more than a ten minute fly. His mind raced as he soared over the wide open woodlands that surrounded Yu Dao, wondering what anyone could possibly want with a small coalition village that was hardly big enough to home more than a dozen families. However his wondering swiftly gave way to horror when he saw the red glow on the horizon, and the smell of burning wood and smoke reached him.

Angling himself down he shot across the top of the little woodlands that remained so close to the village, eyes wide as the sight of huts on fire came into view, a small group of people stood outside of the village gates, and he saw arms raised and waving in his direction.

"Avatar Aang! Oh thank the spirits!"

Quick as a flash Aang dropped to their side, closing down his glider and hurrying over to the man he recognised and Mayor Tarutr.

"What's happening?" He demanded, looking from the Mayor to the fires through the village gates.

"We don't know!" Tatutr cried, his eyes wide with panic. "We were woken by screams, and then the fires started. There are still people in there!"

Without hesitation Aang turned and ran through the gates, eyes pierced through the growing smoke. He could hear the screaming and weak calls from people trapped inside, and he looked around for anything that he could use. Running through the center, pushing the flames back with a raised hand, he came across the village well and instantly dropped his staff to his side, focusing all his energy on raising the water deep down in the ground below. A veritable mountain of water rose swiftly from the well, bursting its banks, and Aang pulled it high over his head, twisting his body as he directed the water across the nearest burning hut. Swiftly he worked, putting out fire after fire until the screaming died down and, finally the glow of the village fell. Breathing easy Aang let the water fall back down into the well, before looking around him for signs of life.

"Get everyone out!"

Tarutr had already run back into the village center, and those who had congregated outside came running through the doors, hurrying towards the homes that lay in a ring against the village walls. Aang grabbed his staff from the dirty stone ground, ready to go to the aid of anyone who had been trapped inside their huts, before he was stopped in his tracks by another scream behind him. He turned swiftly on his heal, coming face to face with a tall cloaked figure standing still and emotionless on the other side of the well. Behind the strange figure a mother grabbed her daughter, pulling her back into the doorway of their home, and he heard the Mayor cry out behind him. Calmly Aang raised his staff, pointing the top directly at the newcomer.

"Who are you and what do you want with these people?" He demanded. The robed figure remained silent, the black hood pulled so far forward over their head that their face remained shrouded in shadow, not a single feature visible to anyone around them. Aang frowned, his unease growing.

"I said, who are you and what do you wa-" He was shut off by the figure in front of them suddenly bursting into high, hot flames, robes bustling but remaining undamaged. The figure raised their arms outwards, the flames growing larger and more furious. But before Aang had any chance to subdue this strange person, he felt his skin start to tingle, like pins and needles across his entire body, before his head exploded in pain. He cried out, dropping his staff and grabbing his head, and from beneath him a large crack in the stone formed, shooting off like lightning across the ground until it hit one of the farthest stone walls of the village. To the cries and screams of the village folk the wall cracked and parts began to fall before, all at once, everything stilled. The figure of fire lowered their arms, and through watering eyes Aang watched as they turned and vanished, taking the billowing flames with them.

For a several heartbeats Aang stood stock still, panting and staring at the spot where the figure had stood but seconds ago. A high pitched whistle filled his ears and it took a hand shaking his shoulder for him to take notice of his surroundings once more. He looked round to see Tarutr, panicked and yelling, but with the ringing in his ears he found it impossible to make out what he was saying.

"W-what?" Aang breathed, blinking and rubbing his head.

"I said, what just happened?" Tarutr cried. "Who was that man?"

Aang once more looked back where the hooded figure had stood, shaking his head. "I don't know."

"He was a firebender!" The woman sheltering her child stood forward, eyes wide and furious. "A firebender did this!"

"No! A firebender wouldn't do that!"

"You're kidding? You do remember one hundred years of _War_ don't you?"

"We live here peacefully! You know us!"

"Maybe we don't know you as well as we think!"

"Enough!" Tarutr drew himself up tall, looking round as the villagers. "We don't know what that was!"

Aang only half listened to the arguing villagers, his gaze now drawn to the crack in the earth that started below his feet, following its jagged path to the crumbled and destroyed section of the wall. "Did I do that?" He whispered, his voice coming out with difficulty.

"Avatar Aang, what do we do now? Do you think that man will come back?"

His head still fuzzy from the intense pain he had experience only a minute before, Aang turned his attention back to the villagers, their hopeful and frightened faces all looking directly at him. In truth Aang didn't know what to think. Whoever that stranger had been had had the power to wipe all of the villagers out in that moment when Aang's guard had been dropped, but instead of doing so they had vanished. In the past few years Aang had grown quite used to having a target on the back of his head, with Ozai loyalists still at large in various places across the world, and though this felt similar there was something more intense about this most recent encounter. He felt as though this figure had been there for him.

"I don't think so," Aang said at last. "Whoever this person was they've made their message clear."

Tarutr looked back at him doubtfully, and for the first time Aang really saw the fear in the mans eyes. Quickly Aang smiled comfortingly at the Mayor, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, whoever this person is I'll find them."

Several hours later, after helping to make sure that everyone who had been trapped in their houses were ok and repairing what he could, Aang made his way back to Yu Dao, the sky now pitch black as clouds obscured the moon from the world below. Though his head no longer hurt he remained on edge, his body sharp and his skin still sensitive. There was too much about the events that had taken place that worried him. For starters, the power that firebender had displayed seemed to rival even Zuko's, yet he had held back enough not to let the entire village burn in what should have been minutes. It was possible that they could have been one of Ozai's loyalists, perhaps wanting to stub out the Earth Kingdom habitance in the colonial villages, but in truth a person had never made him feel that uncomfortable and that uneasy in his life. No, the only time he'd even felt that shiver up his spine had been when facing one of the most terrifying spirits he'd ever come across ... But then there was that pain, and that crack in the stone. There was no way the strange figure could have earthbended, only Aang could have done that. But he'd not lost control of his bending for many years, not since he was first learning to control the Avatar State, and the Avatar State never came with such excruciating pain.

He arrived back at the inn sooner than he had expected, alighting outside of the inn ricketing front door. Numbly he pushed the door open, only to have the life frightened out of him when a loud yell welcomed him.

"Aang!"

Surprised Aang jumped back, holding the point of his staff outwards, before he recognized Zuko standing there, looking both relieved and furious. With an irritated sigh Aang lowered his staff and kicked the door shut behind him.

"Are you trying to scare me half to death?" He snapped, before pushing past Zuko to place his staff on one of the tables, dropping gratefully into one of the chairs.

"Scare you half to death? What about me?" Aang looked up curiously. "Aang you've been gone for hours, no one had any idea where you was."

"Oh, right." Aang leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table in front of him. "Sorry about that."

Zuko cocked his head slightly, his narrowed eyes looking over the exhausted Avatar with more concern than anger now. His friend pulled out his own chair, sitting opposite him.

"Aang what happened? Where were you?"

With a heavy sigh, Aang looked up at Zuko.

"I got a hawk from Tarutr, just after we got in, saying that Mahi Kah was under attack."

"And you didn't think to come and get me?" Zuko asked exasperated.

"Well it was pretty urgent, Zuko, and I could get there faster on my own," Aang replied irritably, crossing his arms across his chest. The Firelord growled in this throat before waving his hand.

"Well, what happened?"

"When I got there, the entire village was on fire," the Avatar replied, his voice notably tired. "I managed to put it all out easily enough. But afterwards there was this ... this person there. He just bent all these flames up around him and disappeared."

"What did he look like?"

"I don't know. He had a hood up the whole time covering his face."

"Sounds like there are still some loyalists around causing trouble for the colonies," Zuko muttered angrily, his fists clenching. "Did he say who he was working for? Did he have anything to do with the New Ozai Society?"

"He didn't say anything," Aang replied. "Not a single word."

"I bet some of the people that worked with Ukano are still at large," Zuko continued, as if he hadn't heard anything that Aang had said. "I should have know that this wasn't over!"

"No, Zuko, I don't think that's what's going on here," Aang replied quietly. Zuko snapped his attention back to Aang, frowning.

"What do you mean? What else happened?"

"I don't know exactly. It just ... it didn't feel that simple. Like, almost like he wasn't human."

"A spirit?"

"Maybe. Except spirits don't firebend, Zuko."

The pair sat in silence, Zuko watching Aang with concerned etched across his features, whilst the Avatar stared off into the fireplace.

**oOoOo**

"I mean it could be a bit bigger, and those wavy lines still don't make any sense to me, but otherwise I think it looks great!"

On the outskirts of a small village crafted from ice, on a wide snowy tundra, two individuals stood, their heads tilted back to look up at a tall watch-out post, also crafted from ice. With their chocolate skin and vivid blue eyes, they were unmistakably water tribe, and whilst on the face of one was placed a wide, satisfied grin, the second looked on with an unmistakable air of frustration.

"Sokka, those wavey lines are _waves_. And you've drawn them upside down."

The grin feel sharply from the face of the first, and he looked sharply round at his sister, who now had her hands on her hips, frowning at him.

"What do you mean they're upside down?" He cried. His sister, Katara, raised an eyebrow pointedly, and with a grunt of anger Sokka dug his gloved hands into one of his pockets, pulling out a brown scrap of paper, holding it up in front of him. With a sigh, Katara walked forward, taking the paper from her brothers hand and rotating it one eighty, before passing it back to him. Sokka's face turned a dark shade of red instantly, and he hastily shoved the paper back in his pocket again.

"Well this was just a practice run," he said awkwardly, not wanting to look back at the large upside-down water tribe insigna that he had painstakingly carved onto his ice watch tower. "Besides, what have you done today, anyway?"

"What have I do done today?" Katara cried. "How about made your breakfast, washed your stinky socks, delivered the updated plans to Bato, and I've been taking care of Gran Gran! All in the time it's taken you to do one lousy drawing. Upside down!"

"Well, you know, Ba Sing Se wasn't made in a day!"  
"What does that even mean?"

The pair's bickering was interrupted by a voice calling them across the small expanse of snow between them and the gates of the village. Looking back, they saw their father, all tall man with the same bright blue eyes as his children, walking up towards them.

"How's it going?" He called, before his eyes were drawn towards the unsuccessful insignia attempt on the ice watchtower.

"It's only a practice," Katara said, smirking, whilst Sokka glowered at her. Hakoda, their father, tilted his head to the side for a moment, before reaching over and rubbing his son on the head.

"Well, good to practice these things first, champ," he said.

"Champ?" Sokka cried indignantly, waving his father away and trying to flatten his ponytail.

"What's up, dad?" Katara asked, once she had stopped laughing at her brother.

"Your grandmother has made dinner," Hakoda said brightly. "So I've been sent to come and fetch you."

"Gran Gran made dinner?" Katara's voice was concerned, her brow arched worryingly.

"She insisted," Hakoda replied, and though his voice was tipped with the same concern, the grin never left his face. "She seems better today."

Doubtfully Katara bit her lip, glancing back at Sokka who shared the same worried look.

"Well, come on then. Don't keep her waiting for spirit's sake." Their father laughed, turning on his heel and gesturing for the pair of them to follow him.

Sure enough, when they entered their large ice hut, their grandmother was placing bowls of steaming stew on the low wooden table within. She was an elderly woman, and though she had always seemed to be someone who defied age, in the last few months she had grown tired, weight dropping from her bones. Much of her time was spent resting, so it was a huge surprise for the three of them to see her standing with such a wide grin on her face. As doubtful as Katara felt, she couldn't stop herself smiling in return, taking her seat on the fur covered cushions around the table.

"This looks great, Gran Gran!" Sokka said enthusiastically, his stomach rumbling comically as he eyed the mountain of flatbread in the center of the table.

Another man came into the room from the kitchen, carrying the last two bowls of stew. He was a tall, older man, with a long white goatee, and after placing the bowls in front of Katara and Sokka, he gently assisted Gran Gran in dropping onto her cushion.

"Thank you, Pakku," she said, before turning her attention to her grandchildren. "Well, I figured it had been a while since I made my famous sea prune stew and, no offence to your father, but Hakoda has no idea how to make it properly."

Hakoda pouted slightly as his mother laughed at him.

"Well, dig in!" Gran Gran cried happily. Her voice was still somewhat strained, but she did truly look much better than she had done only that morning. Katara kept the smile on her face, enthusiastically thanking her grandmother for what had to be the best stew she had tasted in a long time, but the rational part of her knew that there was no way that Gran Gran had just suddenly gotten better in the space of a few hours.

It was an animated meal time, Hakoda, Pakku and Sokka eagerly going through the new plans that had been made up for the outskirts of the village, past the watch tower and slowly growing into their very own docks. It had been over a century since the Southern Water Tribe had had any opportunity to grow past the small village that it was. Whilst they did have plans to finally start to have some degree of influence over what was happening in the rest of the world, for now they just wanted the Southern Tribe to become a place where their people wanted to live and stay. Since the end of the world there had been a number of people who had chosen to leave the South Pole, searching fortunes in the Earth Kingdom, and it had left the Tribe diminished and struggling. But with Katara and Sokka having finally returned, and an explosion of births in the last year alone, things were finally looking up for the Tribe once more. Of course, for Katara, the situation was a little more complicated. Whilst Sokka never really seemed to concern himself with the affect his living in the South Pole may have upon his relationship with Suki, assuring they were both independent enough to cope, Katara couldn't help but wonder where it left her standing with her own relationship. She didn't want to leave the South Pole whilst her grandmother was still ill, and there was a good chance that she could one day be the one training new generation of Southern waterbenders in a few years, but Aang's place certainly wasn't in the South Pole. He would visit, of course, but the Avatar was, for the most part, expected in the Earth and Fire nations. Unlike Sokka, she couldn't content herself with the odd visit, and if she was to be honest with herself, she was sure that much of Aang's nomad natures had become to rub off on her.

As if in response to her musings, the sound of a screeching hawk at one of the windows made them all jump. Katara excused herself whilst everyone else continued to eat and talk, taking the note from around the birds ankle before setting herself back down at the table.

"Aang?" Sokka, taking the smallest pause in shoveling bread in his mouth to speak to her, asked.

Katara opened it up, then nodded, before proceeding to read the letter.

"Oh no ..." she muttered.

"What is it?" Hakoda said, concerned.

"It's Yu Dao," Katara said sadly. "They're refusing to send aid to the other colonies."

"It's not really a huge surprise though, is it?" Sokka said, dropping his bread on his plate. "I'm impressed Zuko was able to pull it off to begin with."

"Apparantly Zuko isn't taking it too well," Katara sighed, still skimming the letter. "Poor Zuko."

"Poor Zuko?" Sokka scoffed. "Katara, he _banished_ his ex girlfriend. Remind you of any other firelords?"

"Sokka that's not fair," Katara snapped. "He just ... He's just a bit lost, is all."

"The Firelord being lost isn't particularly encouraging," Hakoda muttered, whilst Pakku nodded in agreement. He saw the withering look his daughter threw him. "Look, I know Aang is with him and hopefully he'll stop him doing anything stupid, but you have to admit this entire situation is starting to get a little worrying."

Katara fell silent, looking glumly back at the letter. Sokka leaned back, peering over his shoulder.

_"Love and kisses?"_ He read, poking out his tongue and making a gagging sound.

"Buzz off Sokka!" Katara cried, turning pink and hastily pushing the letter into her pocket.

The meal continued with conversations of a different vein, with the subject of Zuko and his rule clearly being one that no one wished to dwelve into any more than they already had. Katara remained thoughtful, and notably concerned. As much as she trusted that Zuko would trust what Aang told him, she also knew that he and the Firelord wouldn't agree on everything. It almost taken a war for them to both see eye to eye on the Harmony Restoration Project, though in that case it often saddened her to think that Aang had been the one with the narrow mindset at that point. But now they both had the same goals with the coalition, so she had nothing to worry about. Right? Much later, she and Her father stood to tidy the bowls and dishes away, thanking Kanna for an amazing meal, and whilst the others remained in the living room, Katara felt her fathers hand on her shoulder.

"Are you ok, poppet?" He asked. There was a smile on her fathers face, but she couldn't miss the serious look in his eyes. She hesitated for a moment, considering telling her father that all was fine, before she let out a huge sigh.

"He's only sixteen," she said at length. "It's not that I don't think he can take care of things on his own, but he's always had me, and Sokka, and Toph with him. A few years ago Zuko made Aang promise that he would take him out if he ever showed any signs of following in Ozai's footsteps. I know Aang better than anyone does, and even I thought maybe he was going to keep his word back in Yu Dao."

Hakoda watched her for a moment, slowly swirling the pots around in the soapy water, before at least saying, "you're worried Aang may still have to?"

Katara looked across at her father sharply, and for a moment she looked horrified. "No! No, I know Aang wouldn't, _couldn't_ , do that. I just ... I know that Zuko must be feeling confused, hurt even. He's our friend now, but he's never been the most rational person when it comes to dealing with his feelings. I'm just worried that Aang may end up caught in the middle of something. And you know what he's like," she added, throwing a sideways glance at her father as she proceeded to dry the plates. "He has to try and fix things. And I get it, he's the Avatar, he has all this power, but he is still just a kid."

"A kid without you to look out for him," Hakoda said wisely, a knowing look on his face as he looked over at her. "Katara, you don't have to stay."

Katara looked away, her face turning pink once more as she took the next plate from her father. It wasn't that she didn't want to stay. Of course, being with her family again for the first time in many years had been wonderful, and though Aang hadn't been with her, it would still stand out as some of the best months of her life, just focusing on her family and her home. But as much as she knew she could help here, she was a natural worrier, and situations in the Earth Kingdom were quickly spiralling into worrying.

"I'll wait until Aang's next letter," she said at last. "If it still seems like they're having trouble ..." she tapered off, knowing that she didn't need to finish the sentence.

The next day, Katara woke, her mind still full of concern, but her wits eased by her decision to wait until Aang's next letter. And, though the work was back breaking, there was a lot that she had to be doing in the South Pole, and that knowledge alone managed to keep her going.


	2. The Rise and Fall of Yu Dao

The day of Toph and Satoru's arrival finally came on one of the hottest, most uncomfortable days of the year. Aang had somehow managed to convince Zuko to take some time away from his letters and parchments in the stale heat of the inn, and the pair now stood in the backyard, arms raised towards each other. It had been some time since they had practiced firebending together, and seeing the stress permanently etched across Zuko's brow, Aang had insisted that he needed it. There was no doubt, as their sparring had begun, that Zuko had a lot of pent up rage, and it was about all Aang could do to avoid the searing hot fireballs that were blasted at him. In truth, it wasn't so much sparring as target practice, but Aang didn't complain, kicking a few blasts at Zuko whilst mainly trying to stay out of the way. It was with some relief, however, when Kama, the innkeeper, peeked her head out of the back door and called to them.

"There is a man and woman here looking for you," she said, though she yelped when Zuko kicked one last flame up at Aang, who dodged with a kick of his heels.

"Sorry," Zuko apologised gruffly, looking back at the innkeeper. She threw him a wide eyed glare, before ducking her head back into the building.

"That'll be Toph and Satoru," Aang said cheerfully, grabbing the towel and wiping his profusely sweating torso. Pulling shirts back over their heads, the pair pushed back through the door, and with her hands crossed irritably over her chest, a scowl on her face, stood Toph. She had grown over the past few years, though admittedly not by a huge amount. She still barely scrapped five feet. But her height did not take away from how intimidating the small earth bender could be, and Aang's wide grin certainly faltered when he saw her frown.

"I thought the plan was to meet us at the gates," she snapped. "We had to ask for directions!"

"Oh," Aang replied. "Umm, sorry Toph, I guess we just thought you were meeting us here."

"It's ok, we're here now," said the man stood behind her brightly. He was much taller than Toph, bespectacled with curly black hair. Toph stuck out her tongue, irritably.

"Did you have a safe trip?" Asked Zuko, after glancing uncomfortably at Aang.

"Oh yeh, it was great," Toph replied, sarcastically. "Nothing like being up in the air where I can't see!"

"You came by balloon?" Aang asked curiously. Satoru nodded, though he looked worriedly sideways at Toph.

"It was quicker," he explained. "And we were already running a little late."

"No harm done!" Aang forced the grin back to his face again, hoping he could lighten the mood lowered by the angry earthbender. "It's probably too late now to call a meeting with the council," he continued, trying to ignore the twitching of one of Toph's lower lids. "So I vote you spend the rest of the day relaxing and we can get things organised for first thing in the morning."

"Relax here?" Toph sighed. "Twinkletoes, this place is dull as anything."

"Not at all!" Satoru cried. "The mine isn't too far, we could go and take a look at it, get more of a feel for it before we speak to the council tomorrow?"

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Aang agreed. "We can take Appa."

"Great," Toph muttered. "More flying."

As they soared over the slightly shimmering city of Yu Dao, Zuko and Toph clearly both there against their best judgement, Aang turned back to his passengers, trying to get a conversation going.

"So how have things be in Gaoling?" He asked. "Were you able to get any deals with the refinery?"

"Yeh, no problem," Toph replied indifferently. "My dad's still the richest guy there, it wasn't hard to get everyone he wanted on board."

"What about your mum?" Aang continued, tentatively. He saw Satoru stiffen, looking uncomfortably over at Toph.

"Oh, well ..." Toph sat up. "She still owns half the estate. But she's moved out of town, she lives in Ba Sing Se now. With her new husband."

"Oh," Aang replied, not really sure what else to say.

"It's fine, I'm not bothered," Toph replied, though her tone indicated otherwise. "Which reminds me," she added. "Where's Sugar Queen?"

"She and Sokka are back in the Southern Water Tribe. I was supposed to be going back there myself but, well ..." he trailed off, glancing at Zuko who seemed to be staring out over the side of Appa's saddle, ignoring the conversation.

"I'm just surprised she doesn't want to be here," Toph continued. "Negotiations have sort of become her thing, haven't they?"

Toph wasn't wrong on that regard. In the years that followed the war it had become very clear that Katara had a knack for convincing people to do the right thing in terms of progress. She had, after all, been the one to convince Aang that the Harmony Restoration Project wasn't the great idea he had thought it was, and on many occasions Katara had been the one to lead when speaking to the world leaders on important matters.

"There's a lot going on in the South Pole," Aang answered. "They're expanding the village, I think she's teaching some Northern Water Tribe women who have moved to the South Pole to learn waterbending."

"Sounds like she's got everything all worked out over there then," Toph replied, stifling a yawn. Aang felt his stomach lurch and said nothing. Soon enough they rose over a hill to see the Yu Dao mines spread wide across a huge crater in the earth. The ground was a rust red, spiraling like an inverted termite mound deep down into the ground, silver picks glinting in the sunlight as rows of workers hacked their way into the earth walls. Towards the far side of the impressive, though to Aang somewhat upsetting sight, was a metal hut. Pulling gently on the reins, Aang angled Appa downwards, and to the surprise of the three men standing outside the hut, they touched down heavily, billowing a red dust across them.

"Whoops, sorry about that!" Aang called, jumping down from Appa's head. As the dust settled, three shocked faces looked back at them. One of them, a very large man dressed in green Earth Nation attire that stretched across his generous middle, finally managed to find his voice.

"Who're you?"

Aang hesitated. With the flying bison, the arrow across his forehead, and the scarred face of the Firelord standing beside him, he wasn't quite sure how to reply. It wasn't that he expected everyone to know him, of course, but it was common knowledge by now what the Avatar looked like.

"I'm Avatar Aang," he replied, bowing. "And this is F-"

"Avatar Aang!" The man cried, slapping himself across the forehead. "Of course, how could I be so silly?"

"How indeed?" Toph muttered, under her breath.

"My name is Gajja, I run the mines here at Yu Dao. You'll have to excuse me, I had no idea that you would be visiting so soon."

"Well, my friends Toph and Satoru arrived today, and as the council will be meeting tomorrow, we figured it would be good if you could meet first." Aang stepped back. "Gajja, this is Toph Beifong."

Toph inclined her head, before spitting sharply to her right side. Gajja's smile faltered.

"And this is Satoru, he runs the Earthern Fire Refinery,"

"Pleased to meet you," Satoru said, reaching out a thin hand, which was completely swallowed by Gajja's large ones.

"The pleasure is all mine!" Gajja said enthusiastically. "We do what we can here, and dare I say the mine has run very successfully even through the war, but with more non benders looking to start working here we are very eager to learn more about what you can offer us!"

"And you us," Satoru replied. "The metal industry is only growing, and though I feel that our refinery is more than up to the task, we still need the raw material to keep it that way."

The pair of them exchanged pleasantries for a while longer, Aang noticing how irritated Toph seemed to be by the whole ordeal, before Gajja finally announced, "why don't we have a tour of the mines? I can show you each of the ores that we mainly excavate here, and where it is we could stand to improve."

Satoru followed eagerly, quickly followed by Aang. Toph and Zuko seemed to both sigh before they, too followed.

"As you can see, we run on pretty basic technology," Gajja continued, as they began to walk down the long spiraling path of earth that lead deep into the mine below. Metal and wood fencing lined the outside of each pathway, to prevent anyone from falling into the deep depths below. Peering over the fence Aang couldn't hold in a light shudder at the thought of anyone falling to their deaths down that deep dark hole. "We have long since gathered all the ore along the top twenty meters of earth, and for the most part the upper areas remain empty with the exclusion of some of our younger workers." He gestured to several men and woman who looked over with interest at the Avatar and his companions, headed their way. "Though the ore is long gone, there is still quite a selection of attractive stone that fetches quite a price as collectibles in the inner rings or Ba Sing Se."

"People pay money for this?" Toph asked, putting her hand on the small round stones that piled high in one of the wheelbarrows, her expression indignant.

"You bet they do," Gajja replied. "You see there are some crafters in Ba Sing Se who are able to make quite wonderful trinkets from the stone, which is soft enough for even a non bender to work with."

"Ingenious," Satoru uttered, his eyes rapt with attention.

"Of course, it's not a huge income," Gajja continued. "But it makes use of parts of the mine we thought were no longer of any value."

Aang looked over at Zuko, who seemed to be sharing his thoughts.

"So Yu Dao makes quite a profit out of this place?" He asked.

"I don't often concern myself with how much the council chooses to sell off the products once they have bought them from me. But it keeps my employees and myself well fed!" He laughed broadly, patting his stomach.

The group followed Gajja down a little ways past the miners picking for the smooth stones, before coming to halt at what looked like a large wooden and and metal box, held up with a complicated series of ropes, hanging over the drop into the center of the mine.

"The next layers are much the same, so we will need to take the elevator down to get to where the ore mining takes place," he said, gesturing to box. "I'm afraid there's too many of us to make one trip, but I will go down first with Satoru and the young lady, if the Avatar and Firelord are happy to wait until the elevator comes back up?"

"That's fine, Gajja," Aang replied. But Toph seemed to have other ideas.

"There's no way I'm getting in that," she snapped. But to Aang's complete surprise he saw Satoru excitedly grab her hand and pull her into the elevator. If that had been Aang trying that, or anyone else for that matter, he was sure they would have met a very painful end. But with face blushed beetroot red and her teeth grit, Aang watched as Toph stood in the elevator. Gajja leaned over the side and yelled, "Pull 'er down!" With a ominous creak, Aang watched as the rope started to shift, and the elevator slowly began to make its descent, watching as his friends and Gajja disappeared from view.

"Do you get the feeling that the council haven't been completely honest with us over how much they actually bring into the City?" Zuko asked at once, his eyes narrowed as he looked back at the miners collecting the stones.

"Yes," Aang replied. "But then, if this all goes through and Satoru can get a deal with the mine, maybe he can have a bit of say on the matter."

"I wouldn't keep your hopes up," Zuko said gravely. He walked forward peering over the edge. "I can still see them. This is going to take ages."

"Short cut?" Aang asked, opening his glider. Zuko let out a laugh, for the first time in a few days sounding genuinely humored.

"I can make my own way down," he replied, before swiftly dropping from the edge of the pathway. Aang looked over to see the Firelord dropping gracefully into the darkness, great bursts of fire lighting the drop as he eased his fall with firebending. Grabbing his staff above his head, Aang too dropped.

It was with a certain smugness that Aang and Zuko waited at the bottom of drop, waiting for the elevator to finally finish it's slow descent. Miners had stopped, staring wide mouthed and gobsmacked at the Avatar and Firelord suddenly dropping into their midst, and Aang could hear Gajja's loud laughter. Eventually enough, the elevator touched down, and an angry looking Toph quickly stepped out.

"Of course, I'm not sure why I thought an airbender would need the help of an elevator to get down, but there you are," he said brightly. He looked round at the wide pathway they had landed on, and the workers quickly turned their attention back to the walls. "Now this is where the real work happens," Gajja continued. "Earthbenders create the wide channels in the rock, and then our miners, a collection of benders and nonbenders, extract the iron ore. The ore is then pushed back to here in the wheelbarrows, where they're tipped into the rock basins over here."

They followed Gajja as he walked around the wall, where five large rock basins stood. Ore was almost full to the top on the one furthest from them, and Gajja cleared his throat loudly. One of the workers, a fierce looking woman with jet black hair and eyes came forward.

"I know it's not quite full yet, Parvati, but could you perhaps give out guests a demonstration?"

Parvati nodded, dropping low on her haunches, and with a raise of her muscled arms the rock basin started its rapid ascent up the side of the wall.

"Benders up top then tip the ore into a series of wheelbarrows and they're taken out of the mine," Gajja said, his voice tipped with pride. "As I said, it's a basic system and we rely almost entirely on earthbenders to do it, but it has been a successful process for the better part of a century now."

Satoru looked around, clearly impressed. "I can certainly see how we're going to be able to help each other. Toph, what do you think?"

The group looked over at Toph, who was leaning against one of the walls. "I think this would move faster with metalbenders," she said. "But for the time being I think your machines can make enough of a difference."

"Metalbenders?" Gajja gasped. "But, you're the only one, surely?"

At that, Toph grinned, though it looked more reminiscent of a cat grinning at a mouse than anything else. "Not any more. I am the only one who can teach metalbending, of course," she added with a wave of her hand. "But I have been training metalbenders for the best part of two years now."

"That is simply amazing!" Gajja gasped. "Do you think there is any chance any of them would be willing to work in the mines?"

Toph scoffed. "There are only a few of us, and we are always at high demand. Mostly we help keep Satoru's machines running and help where necessary. But hey, in the future, who knows?"

Gajja seemed practically giddy.

"So," Aang asked, stepping forwards. "Do you think that yourself and Satoru will be happy to work out a deal?"

"Most certainly," Gajja replied. "I will, too, be at the council meeting tomorrow, though if you wanted to discuss terms now ..?"

"Uh, I think it best to wait until everyone is present," Zuko broke in, seeing the excitement on Satoru's face. "I don't think the Mayor would be too pleased if we had something worked out behind his back."

"Oh," Gajja said, slightly disappointed. "Yes, you're right of course."

A good twenty minutes later, after waiting patiently and painfully for Satoru and Gajja to get back to the top in the elevator, Toph having bended herself up before Satoru could say otherwise, the group said their goodbyes to Gajja, before alighting on Appa, taking off and soaring back over the sparse woodland between the mines and Yu Dao.

"What a nice man," Satoru said, still grinning.

"I don't know why," Aang said, "but I just expected him to be a rude sort of man."

"Please," Toph scoffed. "If we decide to embrace technology rather than trees and spirits that doesn't make us unpleasant people."

"That's not what I-" but Aang, seeing the smirk on Toph's face, decided it best not to finish that sentence.

Later that night, as the baking hot sun was finally starting its descent in the sky, Aang, Zuko, Toph, and Satoru sat in the inns backyard, having elected to enjoy their evening meal in the considerably less stuffy outdoors. The conversation had turned to how they hoped tomorrow would go down with the council. Zuko and Aang were trying to explain to them how each of the council members seemed to think and act, and how best to go about certain details of the agreements. Toph seemed confident that she could get what she wanted from them with no issue, but Zuko seemed to be getting frustrated at how dismissive she was being about the council.

"They're a team, remember," he all but snapped. "We're the outsiders and they stick together on almost every decision. But they listen to Yuddha most of all, more so than the mayor. So if you have to appeal to anyone then appeal to him."

"Alright, alright, Sparky," Toph sighed, before taking a huge gulp of her tea.

"Yuddha can be very shrewd," Aang continued on from Zuko. "So just make sure you have all your facts ready before putting anything across."

"What if it doesn't work out" Satoru asked, nervous for the first time.

"It has to," Zuko cut across before Aang could answer.

"And don't forget Gajja will be there." Aang's voice was more encouraging than Zuko's. "He wants this to go ahead as badly as you do."

"We'll be fine," Toph sighed. "Just, no one say anything first that may upset them."

At that, an uncomfortable silence followed, Aang and Zuko exchanging quick glances.

"Oh what was that?" Toph asked, tiredly.

"What was what?" Aang replied innocently.

"The awkward silence following my quite prominent words. Don't pretend you didn't notice. What else has happened? What could potentially piss this already pissy council off?"

Aang shifted where he sat, looking across at Zuko hoping that he would perhaps offer to explain. But Zuko had busied himself with his drink.

"Ok," Aang sighed. "Well a few days ago there was an attack in Mahi Kah. The council know about it, of course, but we've yet had time to go into the details of what happened. Zuko here is worried that the same thing could happen in the other colonies. I'm not so sure-"

"What sort of attack?" Toph asked. For once her voice not gloomy but genuinely interested.

"Well, it was a bit odd," Aang confessed. "I got a hawk saying that Mahi Kah was under attack. When I got there the place was on fire. I managed to put it out, but there was someone there, I couldn't see his face he kept his hood up, but he was definitely a firebender."

"What's so odd about that?" Toph asked blankly. "An New Ozai sympathizer against the coalition, easy."

"That's what I said," Zuko interrupted, tearing his gaze away from his now empty glass.

"I don't know ..." Aang said quietly. "It just ... I dunno it didn't feel like it."

"Well spirits knows we best pay attention to your feelings, Twinkletoes," Toph suddenly cackled. "Relax. Firebender attacking a coalition town isn't exactly an odd occurrence, and I'm surprised it hasn't happened sooner."

Doubtfully, Aang shrugged his shoulders.

"Well," Satoru said at length, glancing over at Toph. "We should probably get to bed. It'll be a long day today."

Aang watched a curious pink flush rise to Toph's cheeks as she, too, stood.

"Yep, me too. I've had enough excitement for today."

"Goodnight, Aang, Zuko," Satoru said, with a small bow. Aang and Zuko nodded back, as Satoru turned and headed inside. Toph raised a hand, before following after him. Aang, brow furrowed, watched them go, though Zuko didn't seem the least bit interested in what might be going on between Toph and Satoru, and had already got to his feet.

"I'm off also," he said. "See you bright and early."

"Right."

After several minutes staring up at the clear starry sky, his mind racing over all the new information they had gained that day before he, too, decided it was time to call it a night.

The next morning they all woke early, though bright certainly wasn't the descriptive for some of their company. Zuko seemed to be practically dreading the meeting to come, and his slouch of his shoulders and distracted look on his face at breakfast made that perfectly clear. Toph, still, looked entirely bored by proceedings. It seemed that only Satoru and Aang seemed to eager to get started, which in itself was unusual given how tedious Aang found each and every one of these meetings.

After breakfast, the four of them got to their feet, and made their way to the large central courtyard where stood, tall and proud, the beautiful building that housed the council halls. Gajja was stood outside, and he waved eagerly at them as they approached, before heading in together.

It was clear that Toph had been right. They had had nothing to worry about. Gajja and Satoru were so enthusiastic in their approach that there wasn't anything for the council not to love. Much to Zuko's relief, Aang was sure, he had only needed to speak once or twice, when asked about various Fire Nation involvements in certain aspects of the refinery, and Aang hadn't needed to talk at all. After all of half an hour, Satoru and Gajja were standing and shaking hands, before going ahead and each shaking hands with the mayor. Aang looked across at Zuko, each of them clearly relieved.

"I'm very pleased this could have been worked out, Mayor," Gajja said, with a wide grin. "I'm sure Satoru and I will begin work as soon as possible."

"That is very good to hear, Gajja!" Replied the Mayor, and he went to grab the hammer, as if to call the meeting to close.

"Actually, Mayor Morishita," Aang said, quickly taking to his feet. "There is another matter that we wish to discuss."

Brows raised, the Mayor looked across as his fellow councilmen, before nodding.

"Though we require the council only on this matter," Aang continued, casting Toph an apologetic look before realising that she couldn't see it.

"No worries, Avatar!" Gajja boomed in his cheerful voice. He bowed, and Aang bowed in turn, as he, Satoru, and Toph filed out of the room. Once they had gone, Aang took his seat once more, looking across at the council, who were eyeing him curiously.

"I know that you've all heard of the situation a few days ago in Mahi Kah," Aang said, and almost with resignation the council nodded. "I was hoping that we would be able to discuss the matter."

"You'll be pleased to know, Avatar Aang, that we on the council have already talked about it and come to a decision."

Aang mouthed silently for a moment, gobsmacked. "You've ... you've already come to a decision? About what exactly? What decision have you come to?"

"It seems obvious to everyone on this table that we are merely looking at a Fire Nation rebel who takes issues with the Fire and Earth Kingdom colonies," the Mayor explained kindly, as if speaking to a young child. "Mahi Kah survived, with extra security we can handle this."

For a moment, Aang didn't quite know what to say. He had expected ... he wasn't really sure _what_ he had expected. But he certainly wasn't prepared for the council to be behaving so nonchalantly over the entire thing.

"With respect, Mayor," Aang pressed, "I faced the one who was responsibility for the burning of Mahi Kah, and he was much more powerful than any of the benders you have here." Yuddha snorted.

"One bender, perhaps," he interrupted. "But we have perhaps the best law enforcement in the country, second only to Ba Sing Se, comprising of very talents earth and firebenders. Mahi Kan is a small town, without much in the way of defense, we are far better prepared."

Aang looked between the four of five of them sat opposite he and Zuko. "Even so," he said tentatively. "I would prefer if I could have some involvement in your defenses-"

"But don't you have somewhere else to be than Yu Dao?" Houka, one of the Fire Nation representatives, asked innocently. "It's hard not to hear the whispers from the Fire Nation Capital regarding how worried they are at how long their Firelord has been absent. Surely your own people ... those acolytes, will be needing you?"

Aang blinked back, blankly.

"They don't need to me to babysit them. But I'm not sure what that has to do w-"

"No, Houka is right," said Yuddha, a cold smirk now playing across his lips. "If I remember rightly, our last discussion you were talking about how you wanted to involved the Water Tribes but couldn't until things were more settled. That's all well and good as a goal, but I ask, what is the point in a coalition with just three nations?"

At that, Aang's mouth dropped. He looked back at Zuko, who seemed just as surprised as he felt.

"Well, as you've probably noticed," Aang replied, somewhat shortly. "I'm all that's left of the Air Nation. And I'm here, and offering to help."

"No no you misunderstand me," Yuddha continued, his voice dripping with false empathy. "Shouldn't you be spending less time trying to sort out the other nations and focus on your own? You're sixteen now, yes?"

"Y-"

"Well shouldn't you have a wife already?"

"Uh-" Aang stammered, unsure of how to deal with this fresh and unexpected attack.

"Now I won't pretend to know all there is about the Air Nation, but I do now that all children born in the Air Nation were benders, weren't they?"

"I don't-"

"So, it seems to me that a suitable non-bending wife should have been found for you already."

"That's not for you to decide, Yuddha!" Aang snapped, heat rising to his face. Beside him, Zuko looked on with concern, worried at how well Aang could hold his own against such a personal attack. But Yuddha continued, as if he hadn't heard him.

"If you want peace for the world, as you claim, then perhaps it's time your grow up and do your duty as the Avatar and the last remaining Air Nomad. We are more than happy to welcome the Water Tribe into our city when the time is right, but in inclusiveness if truly what you seek, then you should consider more the future of your race, and less-" he hesitated, clearly trying to hold back a grin, "inappropriate relationships."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Aang asked, his voice low.

"It means that maybe you should spend less time with that Water Tribe peasant girl and find a woman more suited to you."

At that, Aang snapped. He got to his feet, eyes flashing angrily as his hands curled into fists. "How dare you speak about Katara that way!" The temperature in the hall seemed to drop several degrees, and in an instant it became clear that Yuddha has clearly pushed it too far. Zuko, worried as it seemed others in the room were, that Aang may unleash his fury should Yuddha say another word, too jumped to his feet, grabbing Aang's arm. Aang looked across at him, face still twisted in anger, before letting out a long low breath.

"Well," he said, his voice again low and level, "if you think that you are capable of protecting yourself against any potential attack, then I think it best that we take our leave."

"I think that would be wise," Yuddha said shortly. Never before had Aang wanted to punch something as much as he wanted to hit that smug, black eyed face, but he pushed the feeling aside, and bowed to the council, who nervously bowed back. Then, hardly waiting for Zuko, he stalked out of the hall, his feet hardly touching the ground as he walked.

Once outside in the suffocating heat, he could hear Zuko calling out to him. He didn't want to stop, not even when he saw Toph and Satoru, who had clearly been waiting outside, lounging on the fountain in the central courtyard, walk up to him expectantly.

"Aang, wait! Just slow down."

"I don't want to talk about it, Zuko," Aang growled, avoiding his friends concerned gaze.

"Talk about what?" Toph asked, joining them.

"Didn't I just say I didn't want to talk about it?" Aang snapped at her. Toph raised her hands.

"Alright then, jeeze ..."

"Look, Aang, don't let what Yuddha said get to you, the guy's a nasty piece of work. We already knew that."

Aang, still glaring angrily back at the halls, finally nodded, and Zuko clapped him on the shoulder.

"Good. We still had a huge success in there, after all, so let's just focus on that."

Glumly, Aang nodded again, though he was still seething over what Yuddha had said to him.

"Let's get back to the inn," Zuko continued. "I honestly can't wait to start packing."

Aang, however, opened his glider. "You go," he muttered, not looking at any of them. "I'll catch you guys back there later."

**oOoOo**

Not far from Yu Dao there stood an unusual rock, pitch black in colour and glittering like the wing cases of a beetle in the hot summer sun. The rock itself looked over a small pool, deep blue in colour, that tapered off into the gentle stream that meandered away down the rocky hills that surrounded it, plush with moss and other thick green plants. To the left of the rock stood the base of a large mountain side, from which a small but powerful waterfall fell, rising a delicate cloud of mist from the pool below as it fell. Smooth round stones stood at its base, almost as though they had been placed as steps into the pool below, sheltered by the large mountain. It was upon the curiously dark rock Aang now sat, his knees drawn to his chest and his face staring into the deep waters.

It hadn't taken him long to come across this place as he had all but fled from Yu Dao earlier that day, just wanting to be alone so that he could think. In truth, he was more ashamed now, than angry. Ashamed that he had even allowed Yuddha to bait him. Zuko was right, they knew how Yuddha could be. But, more than that he was ashamed that, no matter ho he tried to deny it, Yuddha has been right. Not, of course, that he should be looking for a non-bending wife, but that despite all his hard work to keep the rituals of his culture alive, three out of four Air Temples remained abandoned, and he was still the last of his people. He had lost hope long ago that more airbenders would be found, though he had always harbored a secret hope that, somewhere, some had survived the war and had just been waiting for a safe time to come out. Young though he was, he knew that eventually he would be expected to have children, to try and bring more airbenders into the world, but it wasn't something that he had thought about any more than in passing, and when he did it had only been with thoughts of Katara in mind and the future they held together. But never had he considered that it was his duty, or that anyone expected him to be marrying and having children now.

After a few minutes, he reached down and held the meditation beads that hung low around his neck. Though he had consulted Roku on a number of issues in the past four years, there was something that held him back. Not only was this a much more personal matter than anything he had previously spoken to Roku about, somehow he felt that the past Avatar wouldn't be as sympathetic as he needed. _You need to put the fate of the world, of your people, before your own personal desires_. He pulled a face, of course what else would Roku say? In fact, he figured all the past Avatars would say much the same ... they had all expected him to kill Ozai after all.

He looked into the pool a little longer, thinking about how closely the colour matched Katara's wonderful eyes and how much she would have loved it here. He felt a chill breeze rush across him and, realising that it was now beginning to grow dark, he heaved a heavy sigh and climbed to his feet. Grabbing his staff, he clicked it open and glumly made his way back to Yu Dao. When he got there, however, the scene that met his eyes left nothing but sheer panic in his chest.

Aang, of course, was concerned about the Mayor's decision to deal with the possibly rebellion against the coalition without the Avatar's help, but his thoughts had been so preoccupied with Katara that he'd scarcely given it a seconds attention. However, as he soared close to Yu Dao, hearing frantic yells and seeing a fire spreading in from the outside of the city, he could only curse the council, and his own stupidity at leaving the city so alone so he could brood. As he soared down towards the central courtyard he saw, to his huge relief, Zuko, Toph, and Satoru, all trying to pull people away from the flames, Zuko pushing them back.

"Aang!"

Zuko and Toph looked round at Satoru's relieved yell, and sharply Aang dropped to the ground.

"What's happening?" He yelled to Zuko, who hurried back over.

"I don't know," he replied, yelling over the noise of the flames. "It just started without warning."

"We need to put out this fire!" Toph yelled and Aang, seeing just how widely and furiously the flames were spreading, decided that he needed to deal with this quickly.

Staff still in hand, he pressed his knuckles together, his eyes and tattoos glowing a bright blue, and the ground below them began to shake. Just as the glow dropped from Aang's eyes, water burst from the well, Aang raising high into the sky with it. Still in the Avatar State, Aang dug deep into the ground below, all but clearing the well of all the water that trickled below the earth. Swinging his staff and spread the water out into a huge wide circle that flattened into a disk that reached across the entire width of the City. Aang let the water fall, just as he had in Mahi Kah, and with an almighty hiss the fires were put out, a steam rising from the city. Letting his control of the Avatar State drop, Aang gently landed back on the ground.

"Nice," Toph said, approvingly.

"Where is he?" Aang demanded, his eyes raking the edge of the courtyard.

"The firebender?" Zuko asked, but Aang was far too distracted to hear him. From the buildings people began to pool into the courtyard, all looking round with shock and fear. Some of the council members were among them, and if Aang had been paying attention he may have felt some sick delight over how gobsmacked and terrified Yuddha looked, but he was waiting for the hooded firebender to appear, just as he had in Mahi Kah.

"Aang!" He looked back to see Zuko, his hand on his arm. "Whoever he is he's probably run away."

"You're probably right," Aang replied, though he refused to let his guard down. "Mayor? Mayor Morishita?"

"Here, Avatar Aang!" The Mayor pushed forwards, his beard and eyebrows were singed, but he was alive.

"Can we do a headcount? There's bound to be people still trapped in their homes."

"Right you are," the Mayor replied, looking very sheepish. "Alright, everyone please calm down, we need to know who's missing! Please can file in a line- no we don't have answers y- no no we don't know who did this!"

But Aang found himself distracted again, the left side of his body began to itch and tingle, and he looked slowly round at the council hall, frowning. He half expected the hooded man to come out of the large double doors, but the hall was silent. Until, suddenly, a large lightning bolt shaped crack snaked its way from the doors right between Aang's feet in a flash, and Aang felt this sort of sixth sense, like electricity in the air. He turned quickly to the people mulling behind him, pushing Zuko with force backwards away from him yelling, "look out!" The council hall exploded. Shards of glass and large pieces of rock and marble bursting out in all directions. Aang was just quick enough to raise a wall of earth behind him, separate himself and the hall from his friends the citizens, before a chunk of earth hit him square in the stomach, throwing him back against his own wall, which quickly crumbled under the weight of the debris from the explosion. He could hear people screaming, see hot red flashing and, just as he slipped out of consciousness, a hooded figure stood where the hall once had.


	3. Zuko's Mistake

A light mumble joined Aang into the waking world. He lay, his eyes still shut and a slight ringing in his ears, trying to decipher the meaning of the low voices, to pick out any words when, through the fog he heard someone utter what may have been _'explosion'_. At that, Aang's eyes snapped open, the voices grew louder and, with some difficulty, Aang pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Aang!" Zuko was sat close by, his face visibly relieved, whilst Toph and Satoru stood nearby. But Aang had no time to answer him and said, quickly, "what happened? Where's the firebender?"

"No one found him," Zuko answered gravely. "No one even saw him."

"But the council hall ..?"

"Totally destroyed," Toph confirmed. Aang began to push himself forward, starting to throw his legs over the side of the bed before Zuko grabbed his shoulder firmly and pushed him back.

"What are you doing?" Aang asked irritably. "We should be looking for him."

"We have been looking," Toph assured. "Trust me, whoever did this is far away now."

Aang looked blearily between the three of them. "Well I should be looking too, he can't have gotten far."

"Aang you've been out for a couple days," Zuko explained. At that, Aang slumped back, sighing heavily and putting his hand to his head.

"Well, is everyone ok? Did they get everyone out?"

At that, faces turned white, and nervous glances were exchanged. Aang felt a dread settling in this stomach.

"What?" He asked.

"Well, that was pretty quick thinking with the earthbending, Twinkletoes," Toph said, softly. "A few people were injured by the debris but they're doing ok. But ..."

"But?"

Toph hesitated, and Zuko took over. "There were still people in the council halls. Some decided to take refuge inside once the fires started. No one survived."

Aang visibly paled, hands hanging limply at his sides. Was this his fault? If he hadn't run away after the council meeting could he have stopped all of this from happening?

"Don't start thinking up ways this could be your fault," Toph said, as if reading his mind. "The fire started so quickly, it was all we could do to get out of the way."

"But if I had been here-"

"It would have happened anyway," Toph finished, attempting to roll her eyes. "The plan was clearly to take out the council halls, and if you had been here you would have been just as distracted by the fires as everyone else was."

Aang fell silent, his stomach churning uncomfortably, as his gaze shifted towards the wide window to his right. The sky was blue, a solitary cloud drifted past, and it seemed a ridiculous contrast to the reality of the terrible things that had happened here just two days previous.

"I should go down to the hall ... see if there's anything left that can help work out what's going on."

"There's not much left, and the police force have already combed the place," Zuko explained, but ignoring him Aang swung his legs out over the bed, wobbling slightly at first, before grabbing his staff. He heard the sighs of resignation from both Toph and Zuko, choosing to ignore those, too, as he marched from the room.

The infirmary, luckily, stood a ways back from the council hall and, though it had clearly been one of those buildings caught by the fire, it had suffered very little damage. But once outside, looking out over the charred buildings and soot stained pathways, Aang's stomach dropped only further. Toph may have been in right in saying that he couldn't have prevented this from happening, but he was still certain that he should have been here when it did, not brooding several miles away. A few people still milled around, most of them working on their houses, sweeping their porches, and trying to make the most of what they had remaining. A few looked up to see him pass, inclining their heads, but for the most part no one seemed to notice the Avatar walk by them, headed to the central courtyard that had once held perhaps one of the grandest buildings in the Earth Kingdom.

When he approached, it was all he could do to stop his limbs from shaking. Zuko had been right, there wasn't much remaining of the once impressive building. The entire area had been roped off by bright coloured string, but Aang ignored that, ducking under the first row of rope that separated off most of the courtyard. To his surprise, as he approached the still slightly smouldering pile of rubble, he spotted Yuddha ducking out from behind one of the beams that had remained standing. The two looked at each other for moment, neither knowing whether they should acknowledge the other or ignore him, but eventually Yuddha cleared his throat and, with a notable sense of trepidation, walked down the marble stairs to Aang.

"Glad to see you're up and well," he said, though his tone indicated he was anything but.

"Thank you," Aang replied, electing to look at the remains of the hall than Yuddha's unpleasant face. "And thoughts yet as to what exactly happened here?"

Yuddha, who was actually in charge of the police force in Yu Dao, shrugged. "Maybe," he said with a heavy sigh. "There are signs that some pretty powerful firebending took place here, and if you come this way-" Yuddha began to lead Aang back up the marble stairs, stepping over pieces of rubble until they stood roughly where the center had once been. "It looks like everything originated from this single source."

Aang looked down and, sure enough, an area remained unscorched whilst all around it in a perfect circle was black and charred. It had been some powerful firebending alright.

"So, this could be the same person who set fire to Mahi Kah," Aang said, frowning at the spot where the hooded figure must have stood not two days previous.

"Could be," Yuddha muttered. "But this is pretty impressive bending work, Avatar. I think perhaps the only person capable of causing this much damage with a single blast is, well, you."

Aang looked up sharply to see Yuddha looking back at him with narrowed eyes. Aang had no time, however, to entertain his ridiculous musings, and turned to look across the rest of the rubble.

"Do you mind if I take a look?" Aang asked, though he didn't wait for Yuddha's reply before walking off, stepping over a particularly large beam.

Yuddha was right, of course, aside from himself in the Avatar State, he couldn't think of a single bender who could have done as much damage as this. Well, not strictly true, he mused to himself, any talented firebender could have done this under the affect of Sozin's Comet. Still feeling Yuddha's eyes on him, Aang carefully made his way across the length of the hall, eyes cast downwards. He wasn't really sure what he was looking for, or if he was even to find anything, but there had to be something that gave even the tiniest clue as to how a firebender could produce a blast so powerful. However, as he made almost a full rotation of the building, he remember something. He stood up straight, looking back to the well where himself and the other city inhabitants had been standing when it had happened. He clearly remembered seeing a crack form in the ground, running straight from the center of the large double doors to him. Sure enough, as he walked back to where he had pulled up the earthern wall to protect the citizens, he could just make out a sliver of the crack beneath the rubble. Using his bending he pushed the rubble aside, before tracing the crack back up to the double doors again. Yuddha was looking at him with interest now, walking forwards from his position at the back of the remains. Past where the double doors used to be, Aang continued before the crack stopped. At the entrance to the hall there had stood two large pillars, which framed either side of the doorway. As Aang bent the rubble away he saw that, where the first crack seemed to end, a great many more began, bursting outwards from the center. Some stopped short, but two were aimed straight at those large pillars that lay crumbled where they had once stood. And, at that center point, the ground was indented, as if something heavy had fallen, or if an earthbender their jammed their knee hard into the ground ...

"Firebender couldn't have done that."

Aang looked up to see Yuddha, also peering down at the ground.

"The cracks took out the pillars," Aang said, straightening and pointing to the one of his right. "They took out the front of the building." He thought back to the night the explosion had happened. The crack had formed before the explosion, of that he was certain.

"So ... an earthbender also did this? I can understand one or the other being against the coalition .. but a firebender and an earthbender working together? It doesn't make any sense."

Aang could only agree.

Much later that night, after making several rounds of the city, Aang made his solemn way back to the inn at which he stayed. He wasn't sure whether he would find Zuko, Toph, and Satoru there, but sure enough as he stepped through the doorway the three of them sat at the table furtherat from the door, all seemingly having been waiting for him.

"Well?" Zuko asked, though clearly not sure what he was expecting in reply.

"This is getting very strange," Aang admitted after a moment. Suddenly there was a lot of noise and fussing from his left and he saw Kama bustle in, a worried look on her face.

"Aang should you be here right now?" She asked, walking right up to him and grabbing either side of his face, pulling him down to her level. "They said you were knocked out, you might have a concussion." She turned Aang's head, peering sharply into his eyes and, blushing slightly, Aang grabbed her hands and gently pulled her away.

"I'm fine," he assured her. Kama looked unconvinced.

"Well you best sit yourself down and I'll make you some supper. And a fresh pot of tea."

"Kama, that's ok, I-"

"Sit down, won't you?" She replied, her voice short and authoritative. Ignoring Toph's smirks, Aang hastily took his seat with his friends.

"So, in what way is it getting strange?" Zuko pressed, after he was sure Kama had disappeared into the kitchen. "Well, aside from the obvious."

Aang hesitated, looking between them for a moment, not entirely sure what the knowledge he was about to give them would mean. "Well, for starters, it wasn't just a firebender that did this. There is very clear evidence that an earthbender also had something to do with it."

"An earthbender?" Satoru gasped.

"But ... that doesn't make any sense," Zuko interrupted. "I mean, one or the other, they'd have equal reasons not to want the coalition. But to work together?"

"I know." Aang glanced back at the direction of the kitchen, before leaning forward and lowering his voice. "There's something else, too. Whoever did this, they're incredibly powerful benders. The earthbending probably isn't so impressive, but that fire blast? To take down the building like that he had to be at least as powerful as me in the Avatar State."

Zuko immediately looked uneasy.

"But there isn't anyone that powerful," Toph interjected. "Not even Azula could have pulled this off."

"So, what can we do?" Satoru asked. At that, everyone looked at Aang, who blinked nervously.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess all I can do is head to the closest Fire Nation colony and wait for this guy but ..." he paused, rubbing his arm uncomfortably. "What if that just puts them in danger?"

"They attacked Mahi Kah when you weren't there," Toph reasoned. "I think for once these people aren't actually after you."

But the way that hooded figure had stood staring at him, that pain his head head ... Aang wasn't so sure if he believed that.

"Zuko, I think you should go back to the Fire Nation," he said at last. "With all this going on they're going to expect you back there." Zuko nodded. "Toph, Satoru, I guess just carry on working on the refinery and mines. It would be better to keep things running as normally as we possibly can for the time being."

"What about Katara and Sokka?" Toph asked. "Should we tell them what happened? Get their help?"

Aang immediately shook his head. "No. I don't want Katara to know about this. She will want to help but I don't want her anywhere near this right now." At that, Zuko made a peculiar noise in the back of his throat, and they all turned to look at him. He swallowed, looking back at Aang sheepishly.

"Uh, I may have already sent a hawk to Katara."

Aang's mouth dropped. "You what?"

"Well you were knocked out cold," Zuko argued. "She had every right to know what was going on."

"Yeh, but not right now! Zuko we don't even know what's happening here! Everyone in any of the colonies is already in danger!"

"I told her not to come," Zuko interjected hurriedly. "I said that you'd be ok and that there was no reason for her t-"

"Do you even know Katara?" Aang cried, exasperated. "Of course she's going to come!" He slumped back in his seat, rubbing his forehead.

"Twinkletoes, what's the big deal?" Toph said dismissively. "Maybe having her here will help things."

"The big deal is that I wanted her out of danger," Aang mumbled, miserably. "It was better her staying with her family."

"I'm sorry, Aang. I- I just thought she would want to know."

Aang sighed heavily, before shaking his head. "It's fine, Zuko. Well, I guess I better wait here then until she and Sokka turn up."

**oOoOo**

Katara had been busy helping her father with the new dockyard, bending sea and ice in their favour, when she recieved the news she had been dreading. She had already thought it unusual when the hawk that arrived was different from the one that Aang usually sent, and curiously Hakoda had walked over when the bird alighted, screeching, on Katara's arm.

"Letter from Aang?" He asked. "That's come early."

"Maybe it's not from Aang," Katara replied, casually pulling up a small seat of ice so that she could sit herself down and place the bird on her lap. Fumbling slightly through her gloves, she opened the leather case around the birds leg, pulling the letter out. It was tied differently from how Aang tied his letters too, and she found herself wondering who else could possible be sending her letters. Unless ... her stomach lurched, and with a fresh way of urgency she pulled at the string, the parchment unrolling onto her lap.

_Dear Katara,_

_I know Aang has been keeping you up to date with situations in Yu Dao, and the attack in Mahi Kah less than a week back-_

"Attack in Mahi Kah?" Katara said, out loud. At that, Hakoda dropped the wooden beam he had since picked up.

"What?"

_-though we're still not certain what happened there. I have bad news, however, in that today an attack was launched in Yu Dao. We think it's the same people responsible for Mahi Kah, although they hit Yu Dao considerably harder and destroyed the council halls. Aang was knocked out in the explosion, but the healer here assures me that he will be awake soon and no damage was done. You don't need to come to Yu Dao, we have situations under control here, but I felt that it was only right that you knew what was going on._

_Aang will keep you updated as the situation develops._

_I hope things are going well in the South Pole._

_Zuko_

"I don't believe it ..." Katara breathed.

"What's happened?! Hakoda asked, concerned. Katara stood.

"There's was an attack in Mahi Kah a week ago," she said shortly, her hand balling into a fist around the letter. "And another just happened in Yu Dao. Aang was hurt."

Hakoda's eyes widened. "Is he ok?"

"I've got to get to Yu Dao." Katara turned on her heel, marching back up to the village. Her father hurried after her.

"Wait, Katara. Are you sure it's safe for you to go?"

"Does it matter?" Katara replied, her voice now high with worry. "Aang's hurt."

"I get that but you need to be sensible about this." He followed her back into their home, watching with growing concern as Katara grabbed one of the skins from the coat hanger, taking it into the kitchen and filling it with good. "Katara, you can't just take off like this! Let me sort out a ship for you, Bato and Sokka should go with you at the very least."

"There might not be time for that!" Katara snapped. "Dad it's the middle of summer, I can make it from here to Yu Dao on my own using my bending."

"Using your bending?" Hakoda said weakly. "What that ice surf board thing you do?"

"No, I can take a small boat and bend across," Katara answered, somewhat irritable. She hurried up the stairs to her room as Hakoda watched, mouthing wordlessly. She came down with a smaller satchel that, her father was quick to note, seemed to have been pre-packed. "I've done it before, though not quite as far," Katara continued, as if there had been no break in the conversation. "And it's much quicker than waiting for you to get a ship sorted out."

"Katara ..."

"Zuko said that had been some sort of explosion," Katara stuffed the skin of food into her satchel. "But if there's already been an attack at Mahi Kah ..."

"Katara-"

"Why didn't Aang tell me there'd been an attack in Mahi Kah? You know for an Avatar he can be a complete idiot sometimes-"

"Katara!"

She stopped, looking back at her father who was staring at her in disbelief.

"Will you just slow down! I know Aang is important to you but you are absolutely _not_ taking off like this!"

Katara frowned. "I don't have time to argue, dad." She turned on her heal, pushing past him and marching out of the door.

"Young lady you stop right now!" But Katara was much too fast to be caught by her father, as she practically glided across the snow with the help of her bending. "Katara!" She had already reached the dock, throwing her supplies into one of the smaller boats. She jumped into is just as her father skidded to a halt at the docks himself.

"Dad, quit it!" She snapped. "I can do this, ok?"

Hearing the commotion, Sokka had begun to hurry down from the watchtower.

"What's going on?" But Katara and Hakoda both ignored him, Hakoda letting out a growl of frustration as Katara kicked off from the shore. He immediately marched to the next boat, jumping in and, with an almighty push from the paddle, hurried after her.

"Katara I am ordering you to come back here right now!" But Katara stood in her boat, looking back at him with a determined look on her face.

"I'll be fine," she yelled back. And, turning her back on the village, she raised her hands, a wave forming underneath her boat, and pushed down hard. Hakoda could only watch as she shot off into the distance.

But Katara had not been fine. For the first part of the journey everything had gone smoothly. It hadn't been the first time she'd travelled across the ocean this way, though granted the first time had only been between Yu Dao and one of the outlying Fire Nation islands. In fact, despite her concern for Aang and fear of what was happening in Yu Dao, she quite enjoyed the journey. The freedom there was in just her and sea, her bending taking her wherever she wanted to go. But, as she reached what she supposed was the mid point of her journey a couple of hours later, the weather took a sharp turn. The water began to grow choppy, and where she had been lazily pushing the water before, she now had to fight hard to keep her boat under control. Soon, the choppy waters became loud, cold, and unforgiving waves that seemed to be trying to drown her as she sped by, propelled by the force of the waves below her. Several times she was forced to break a great wave ahead of her with a slice of her hand, for risk of becoming a victim to its cold clutches.

For two more hours she traveled this way, sure that she wasn't going nearly as fast as she would like, and not knowing how far away she now was to the shores of the Earth Kingdom. She had a compass to guide her, which she had tied around her wrist once the water grew violent, but even with that she was finding it hard to keep her bearings, the ocean throwing her this way and that, knocking her off course as soon as she was able to find it again. Eventually, however, the ocean began to still. As keen as she was to keep going, there was no denying the exhaustion in her shaking limbs, and she let herself lay down on the bottom of her boat. As much as she hated to admit it, her dad had been right. Grumbling angrily to herself she pulled her satchel towards her, roughly pulling out the skin holding the food, and began to eat, before she passed out into a short sleep.

She was woken not long later by her boat rocking madly, and she sat bolt upright. She may have been able to outrun the storm before, but it was clearly starting to catch up with her. The wind was picking up and the hands of the ocean crept over the sides of her boat, trying to pull her down. She stood quickly, flexing her shoulders, checking the compass on her wist, and propelled herself across the ocean once more.

"Stupid storm," she growled out loud to no one. "I have no idea how much farther I have to go ... I could be doing this for hours yet." With that thought in mind, she grit her teeth, lowered her body, and let out a huge push against the waves behind her. The wind smacker her in the face so hard at this point that she was finding it difficult to catch her breath, but she kept her head down, and her body pushing. The downside of moving so fast, however, was that with each new turn of speed it was growing difficult to assess the dangers of the waves ahead of her. Eventually, however, the storm grew tired of play, and decided it was time to take care of this lone waterbender.

Ahead, a huge wall of water rose, and she sped towards it. She tried to slow herself down, her heart hammering, but she was going much too fast. The wave grew closer. There was no way she could go over it, she could only go through it and, standing with her arms crossed in front of her, she readied herself. With a loud yell she swung her arms apart, splitting the menacing wave in two, and sped dramatically through the middle. Her triumphant laugh, however, was caught short when the choppiness left behind from the wave unbalanced her boat. She screamed, trying her hardest to regain control of the boat, but it caught harshly and swung over. She grabbed at the boat as she and it flew through the air, but the waves were quick to reach up and grab her. She tried to fight against against them, but the waves were just too strong, and she felt her body whipped violently this way and that way under the surface. With one last beat of her tired arms she tried to push herself upwards with a jet of water, but just as she broke the surface another wave came, hitting her and pulling her deeper into the ocean. She yelled as she fell, expelling the little air she had been holding, leaving nothing but thick, cold, merciless water to breathe. She struggled and panicked, trying desperately to reach the surface, and that was when the final wave grabbed her, almost as though it had been waiting for her deep down below. She felt herself losing consciousness and, after a brave fight, everything faded to black.

**oOoOo**

The day after Aang woke from his concussion, Zuko had taken his leave of Yu Dao, traveling via airship back to his country. Toph and Satoru disappeared off to the mines, this time traveling 'Toph-style', whilst Aang hung back in the city. He had decided that, whilst he needed to remain based in Yu Dao until the Water Tribe siblings arrived, he still had to keep watch over the surrounding colonies. And so, each day for the next week, he loaded some supplies on Appa at first light, taking off and flying as far across the Earth Kingdom has he could, checking on each of the villages and and towns that were home to both Earth and Fire Nation citizens. He had left a note with Kama to tell Katara where he had gone if she happened to turn up before he returned each evening, but as such he had yet to hear anything from Katara. As the week rolled into the second he began to find himself feeling very worried. He had sent a hawk to the Southern Tribe and the Fire Nation, just in case they had decided to go there, but as yet he hadn't a reply from either. He supposed they could still be on their way, but with Katara's bending it certainly wouldn't have taken her this long to get to him from the South Pole, not when Yu Dao stood so close to the sea.

On the ninth day since the Zuko had left the the Fire Nation, Aang returned from his rounds of the colonies to one find, yet again, that the inn remained empty. Nine days. That was more than long enough for Katara and Sokka to get here. He considered, not for the first time, that Katara had listened to Zuko when he had told her that she needn't come to Yu Dao. But, if she had, why had she not sent him a hawk? Something to let him know what she was doing and where she was. Kama, noticing the worried look in his face, had made him some tea, which Aang had gratefully taken up to his room. Momo sat curled up on his bed, and with a heavy sigh Aang rest his staff against the wall. Gently he picked up Momo, moving him to end of the bed so he could lie down. The lemur gave him an irritated look, before curling himself up in a ball once more. Lying as he was, on his back, with the blinds open, Aang could see the stars starting to twinkle in the clear sky. Was she still in the South Pole? If so, was it possible that he actually felt upset that she hadn't come? He had certainly expected her to, but as much as he didn't want her in danger, it did hurt a little that she decided to trust Zuko's words that Aang would be ok and stay with her family. _Or maybe_ , he thought, stomach lurching, _something had happened._ It was wasn't the middle of summer he would have been worrying himself about vicious storms out in the expanse of ocean that separated the Earth Kingdom from the South Pole. But there had been no news of a storm, and on calm seas Katara was more than capable of taking care of herself. In spite of himself, he started to think of the hooded figure that he had seen in Mahi Kah and in his last moments of consciousness. Toph could be right, this mysterious bender really might not have it in for Aang but for the colonies. But what if it _was_ Aang they were trying to hurt? And what if they decided to focus on Katara as a way to get to him? Unable to lie thinking such things, Aang sat up, crossing his arms around his knees as he continued looking out of the window. Tomorrow he would take Appa and fly out towards the South Pole. Whilst he had to keep an eye on the colonies, he couldn't not search for Katara when she might be in trouble. And if she turned up here whilst he was away then he was sure Kama could look after her for a couple days. With that thought in mind, he lay back down, rolling onto his side and closing his eyes, urging sleep to take him.

He was woken early the next morning by Momo's screeches, and knowing that there was only ever one reason why Momo would be jumping about like this, his eyes snapped open and he sat up. To his huge relief, and excitement, he saw a hawk at the window, scratching its beak at the window angrily. Quickly Aang pulled it open and the bird fluttered in, snapping at the lemur as it made to swipe at him. It seemed that, despite time spent around Sokka's bird Hawky, Momo still took a disliking to these large birds. Hurriedly Aang pulled the letter from the leather pouch. But when he opened it, and saw Zuko's very flamboyant cursive, his stomach dropped once more. His disappointment, however, gave way swiftly to alarm as he read.

_Aang,_

_Come quick. Katara is at the Capital._

_Zuko_

Aang knew that Zuko wouldn't be so short if it wasn't important. Even the ink had smudged in Zuko's clear haste to get it rolled up and sent to Aang. Without a moments hesitation he jumped out of bed, pulling on clothes and grabbing his staff.

"Momo, come on."

Momo, sensing the urgency in his voice, leaped up, gliding down the staircase after him. The inns living-cum-dining room was dark, yet to be filled with the slow morning activities from the small handful of people who were staying here. For the briefest moment, Aang considered leaving a note for Kama explaining where he was going, but the urgency in Zuko's letter and concern for Katara led him swiftly past Kama's desk and out into the early morning chorus outside.

Aang hurried across the small cobbled street in which the inn was to be found. Opposite were the stables, and Appa was still fast asleep in his stall, snoring softly. Before Aang could wake the bison, he heard Momo chirrup with some urgency, rousing the grumpy bison from his sleep.

"Sorry buddy," Aang whispered, trying to be quiet so as not to wake anyone else on the street. "It's Katara, she's in trouble. We have to go."

But Appa was immediately alert at Aang's words, shaking away his tiredness with a loud shake of his head and getting to his six strong feet. Appa's saddle was leaning carefully against the side of the stall, but there was no time to mess around with that, and Aang jumped swiftly onto the bison's wide head. Even his reins lay discarded with the saddle, but Aang was sure that Appa would know where to go when he asked him. Momo settled next to Aang in the soft shaggy fur on Appa's head, and, with a quiet _'yip yip'_ , Appa jumped from the stall and straight up into the air.

"We've got to go to Zuko's, buddy," Aang said, and Appa let out a roar of understand, adjusting his course and flying westward, towards the coast, and towards the Fire Nation. And, despite his rampant calm as he sat on his friends head, looking outwards along the horizon, the Avatar's heart hammered, and his eyes danced with worry.


	4. Nightmare and Awakenings

She was warm, her body felt weightless as she seemed to be suspended in comfort. She could smell something sweet and comforting, hear a gentle crackling that filled her senses and, with the comfort that surrounded her, she felt enclosed and safe. She felt carefree, even. Gently, she stirred, halfheartedly trying to open her eyes whilst her body protested. _Just stay here_ , it seemed to whisper to her, _just rest here a little longer._

In her little cocoon of comfort, she only just registered the sound of footsteps among the crackling and, with the smallest groan of protest, her body finally gave way to her desire to address her surroundings. She squinted in the new light, and though it was warm and golden, it was still quite dim. The footsteps came closer and she slowly became aware of her body once more.

"Aang ..?" At first she wasn't aware that it was her that had spoken, until she felt an arm on her shoulder, firm but gentle.

"Ssh, Katara, just rest." A woman's voice replied, one familiar yet that she couldn't quite place. She turned her head, her vision blurry, before squinting up at the person who now stood over her. She tried to sit herself up, and that was when the comfort fell away, as a sharp pain snapped across her chest and up to her throat, coaxing a yell from her lips.

"Katara, you nearly drowned. Just relax for a moment."

"Where am I?" Katara managed hoarsely. The voice was so familiar, welcome, but with her mind so clouded she couldn't place it.

"You're in the Fire Nation," the voice replied. "At the Palace. How in spirits name you managed to bend your way here I'll never know."

Katara raised her hands to her eyes and rubbed, trying to rouse herself into full consciousness and ignore the stabbing in her chest. She looked up at the familiar figure yet again, and this time she was able to make out the face of Suki, looking down at her gently.

"Suki? Where's Aang? How did I get in the Fire Nation?"

Suki sighed, placing her hand back onto her shoulder. "No, Katara, you need to rest."

The Kyoshi warrior stood in a long, silken, red robe, her face make up free and her hair piled into a messy bun at the top of her head. She looked as though she herself had not long ago been roused from sleep. Suki took her hand from her shoulder, before turning left and walking away towards a mahogany table in the far corner of the room. Katara, wincing and grimacing, shifted herself slightly so that she could follow Suki's short trip to the table, before watching her pour a golden liquid into a silver cup. Suki reached into a fabric pouch, pulling out some white flowers, crushing them in her palm before sprinkling the dry dust over the cup.

"Here, drink this." Suki walked back to her, holding out the mug. Dubiously, Katara took the cup, sniffed the liquid curiously, before taking a swig. It tasted of warm honey and mixed spices.

"Thank you, Suki."

"Don't thank me," Suki replied, looking at her friend with a frown on her face. "What were you thinking, Katara? Why would you risk your life like that. Aang is fine, you know, just as Zuko said in his letter. If you had just been patient someone could have come and got you, or you could have just traveled with Sokka."

Katara looked up quickly. "He's awake?"

"Of course he is, it was just a mild concussion is all. He's fine."

"But he's not fine," Katara found herself muttering. "There's clearly something going on in the Earth Kingdom, and he's got to look out for Zuko as well. And Mahi Kah, too?"

"Everything is being dealt with," Suki explained, before she sat herself down on the end of Katara's bed. "The Firelord and the Avatar can take care of a few rebels."

"Rebels..." Katara shifted uncomfortably, before drinking the last of her offered medicine. She felt it ease her throat, which she realised now was incredibly sore, and it warmed her body. Feeling less constricted, she was able to sit herself up further on the bed. "Where is Zuko? Still in Yu Dao dealing with this? How did I end up in the Fire Nation?"

"No, Zuko is back here, he arrived a day before you did," Suki answered, taking the empty cup from Katara's hand and standing to place it back on the table. "He's also sent a letter to Aang who was still in Yu Dao. And as for how you ended up in the Fire Nation? Your guess is as good as mine." Suddenly, she shook her head, turning angrily to the waterbender. "You almost _died_ , Katara. You were all but dead when they found you."

"Where was I?"

"You washed up outside one of the fishing villages along the coast. Zuko had to use one of the airships to come and get you so we could get you back to our healers here. I was so scared we were too late ..."

"I'm sorry I worried you, Suki," Katara replied, looking down. "I just had such a bad feeling about Aang, and when I found out I just didn't have time to wait. I had to know he was ok."

Suki only looked back, her arms crossed across her chest.

"I would have been fine if that rogue storm hadn't hit." At that, however, Suki perked up.

"Storm? No storms had been reported by the fisherman or navy."

"Well, maybe they missed it," Katara replied, with a hollow laugh. "But it certainly didn't miss me."

Suki shook her head again, though it seemed more to still her nerves than anything.

"So ... Zuko said that the council halls had been destroyed?"

Suki nodded. "Yes. No one knows exactly who is reponsible for it. Yet. But the assumption is that the rogue firebender that was spotted in Mahi Kah had something to do with it."

"So, it's aimed at the coalition then?" Katara asked, feeling stronger with each passing minute as the medicine worked its magic. "This isn't an attack on Aang?" At that, Suki just shrugged.

"Zuko doesn't think so," she replied. "But that's not to say Aang isn't one of their targets. But, the thing is, there was evidence that an earthbender may have had something to do with the destruction of the Yu Dao council."

Katara raised her eyebrows. "But that doesn't make any sense."

"You're telling me," Suki sighed. "Zuko's really worried about it all. From what I can make out Aang stayed in the Earth Kingdom in case any of the other colonies were attacked."

"I don't understand why Aang didn't tell me about Mahi Kah," Katara murmered, as Suki began to pour a white liquid into the cup this time.

"Probably so you wouldn't do what you just did a few days ago," Suki answered patiently, holding out the drink. "He knows if you worry you'll come back, he probably just didn't want to take you away from your family."

Katara took a sip of the drink, which this time tasted of vanilla and camomile, and she immediately felt herself grow drowsy.

"You need to rest now, Katara. I know you may not feel like it right now but you nearly died out there in the ocean and your body needs to heal." Katara hadn't even the strength to formulate a reply. "Aang will be back in a day or two." She felt herself drift off into a deep sleep.

**oOoOo**

Just hours after Katara woke, the Avatar was soaring with dizzying speed across the ocean towards her. His face still remained calm, but his knuckles were white as he gripped Appa's long fur, and unconsciously he had slipped into the Avatar State, the bison's already swift movements increased by the way Aang had been bending the air around them. This was uncomfortable for Appa, and he let out low grunts trying to express this to his friend, but Aang barely seemed to notice, so distracted was he with thoughts about Katara and what might have happened to her. But it spoke much of how important Katara was to the both of them that Appa never tried to slow or shake Aang back to attention. He grit his large flat teeth and continued forward.

For Aang, the journey barely crossed his mind. It had been a long time since he had slipped into the Avatar State without knowing, and certainly it was unusual that it should happen whilst Aang was still conscious. All Aang could think about was Katara ... what had happened to her? Had she been attacked? Was she badly injured? He knew better than anyone how powerful a bender she was, she could hold her own against most things. But as he soared to the Fire Nation, her condition unknown to him, that knowledge only seemed to fill him with more fear.

Finally, after flying over island and village, the Fire Nation Capital came into view, the long dead volcano upon which the City stood, large and proud along the skyline. At that, Aang put on another burst of speed, causing a wave to break out across the harbor as they shot by. As they flew up the height of the volcano, finally breaking over its top, the Capital came into view, the Fire Palace standing in its large circular courtyard. They were welcome by the sound of a large horn, blasting out across the otherwise still morning landscape. It had taken Aang and Appa a little over an hour to get there, and it was clear that much of the Fire Nation was still asleep. The horn was a new addition, but Aang didn't have any thoughts to spare and simply angled Appa down to the land at the front of the Palace, where several guards dressed in their army attire hurried down to greet him.

"I'm here to see Firelord Zuko," Aang said, jumping from a relieved Appa's head. One of the guards stepped forward and, unlike the others, she did not wear a helmet. She was a tall and severe looking woman, her height towering over Aang's, and she bowed.

"Avatar Aang, if you would like to follow me."

A pair of the guards stepped forward to lead Appa into the stables and, after a brief pat of thanks on his friends giant nose, Aang began to follow after the General.

It seemed that Zuko, either already awake or woken by the loud horns, was already waiting for Aang. He stood in the entrance hall, and as stoic and he looked, it was clear to Aang that he was also very nervous.

"Zuko what happened?" Aang demanded, walking past the General who had bowed again and thundering towards the Firelord. Hurriedly Zuko reached out, grabbing the younger boys shoulders.

"Aang, relax, she's woken up."

"Woken up?" Aang asked, his voice hoarse. "Woken up from what?"

"We don't know exactly what happened, but somehow she was found washed up outside of the fishing villages." Aang went pale.

" _Washed up?_ " His voice was barely a whimper.

"It looks like she came on her own, I guess maybe she was caught in a storm or something," Zuko answered, quickly. "She was unconscious and the healers were able to keep her breathing until-"

"Keep her breathing!?" Aang went from frightened to furious in a heartbeat, the temperature in the hall dropping sharply.

"But she's awake," Zuko interjected quickly, fear flitting across his own features. "Look, Aang, if I had known she was going to come on her own I wouldn't had said anything."

"Where is she?" Aang showed no sign of having heard what Zuko had said.

"In the infirmary," Zuko replied. "But, Aang, you c-" Before Zuko could finish, Aang pulled the Firelord's hand from his shoulders, an unimaginable rage roaring in his stomach. He turned sharply on his heal, thundering towards the hallway that lead him straight to the hospital wing, and immediately guards jumped in his way, hoping to stop the angry Avatar from rampaging through their Firelord's home. With with barely a wave of his arms, Aang pushed the guards either side of the corridor with his airbending, ignoring the General's demands and yells for the rest of the guards to stop him. But Aang was indifferent, his blood boiling as he thought about how Zuko had put Katara in danger, how stupid she must have been to come on her own like that. He was so angry that not even Suki, stopping in front of him and putting a comforting hand on his shoulder was able to stop him. He nudged her away, and forcibly bent the infirmary door open, knocking three guards aside with it.

"Which room?" He demanded, glaring back at Suki. He saw her eyes dart quickly to the room at the furthest end of the infirmary before she quickly tried to calm him again.

"Look, Aang, first you need to relax," she started, but he ignored her, stalking towards the door, and slamming it open. Katara sat upright on her bed, her expression turning quickly from that of curiosity to clear fear as she saw the man standing in the doorway.

"What do you think you were doing!?" He yelled, slamming the door shut behind him with his heel. "Katara, you could have died!" But then, through his angry fog, he saw the look on Katara's face, her wide eyes a mix of horror and confusion, and he started to panic.

"K-Katara, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to you yell at you." His shoulder slumped, and a wave of guilt washed over him. Katara eyed him warily for a moment, before her posture, too, relaxed. He swallowed hard. "Are you ok? What happened?"

"I'm fine," Katara replied, though ignoring his second question. "I just missed you is all." She flashed him a smile, clearly trying to inject some humour into the situation.

"But you almost died," Aang said weakly, still standing by the doorway.

"So everyone keeps telling me." She smiled only more broadly. "Aang, for spirits sake I'm fine, ok? I almost made it to the Earth Kingdom but a storm kicked up, that's all."

Aang eyed her with concern. "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure." Katara rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you." In truth, Aang wasn't sure how such a rage could have overcome him so quickly, and mentally he felt sick with himself for how he had reacted.

"It's not me you need to apologise to," Katara said seriously, crossing her arms. "No doubt Suki and a few of the guards got it worse than I did."

Sheepishly Aang glanced back at the door, before casting another look in her direction.

"But you're sure you're ok?"

"For the last time, yes!"

Aang hesitated for a moment, before taking a few steps over towards her. There was a soft fire crackling in the corner of the room, and to his left was a table upon which two jugs with different coloured, sweet smelling liquids stood. Katara did look paler than usual, her hair lose down her back and lacking its usual volume, but her smile was genuine enough and he was able to breathe a small sigh of relief. All sorts of thoughts had been running through his mind as he had raced towards the Fire Nation, many of them involving Katara lying mortally wounded in the infirmary, and his anger with Zuko had been huge, but Katara's gentle smile, and her shifting over to pat the bed beside her eased him, and he mentally reminded himself to apologise, not just to Suki and the guards, but to Zuko for his reaction. He sat beside her, still inspecting her face and arms for any sign of injury.

"So, now you're no longer angry with me for trying to get to you, is it my turn to be angry with you for not telling me what happened in Mahi Kah?"

Aangs eyes quickly met hers, which, though still kind, were now flashing with warning.

"So, uh, Zuko told you about that, huh?" Katara scowled and he rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't want you worrying, ok? I didn't want you doing exactly what you just did," he added pointedly. "I knew if I told you you would leave the South Pole."

"Which is a decision for me to make, Aang, not you," Katara replied. "You know I care about this coalition every bit as much as you and Zuko do and you've no right to keep that sort of information from me."

"I was going to tell you," Aang argued. "Once things had been sorted out with the mines I was going to come and tell you personally."

"By which point it would have probably been to late for me to do anything," Katara snapped. "I've put a lot of work into this, Aang, and me being your girlfriend doesn't make me any less a part of it."

"So, you're still my girlfriend, then?" Aang asked, cracking a sheepish grin. Katara glared for a moment, before she too started to grin.

"Of course I am you big airhead," she said, nudging him. "But don't change the subject."

With a certain relief, Aang chuckled softly. "Ok, I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Mahi Kah. And I'm sorry I yelled at you. And Suki, and the guards," he added quickly at Katara's narrowed eyes. She nodded smugly, and Aang reached an arm round her shoulder, pulling her in for a hug which she returned gratefully. "But you have no idea how scared I was, Katara. Zuko just told me to come quick, I thought ..." he voice caught in his throat. But he was clear from the way Katara then stroked the back of his hand that she knew what he had thought. They remained there for a moment, each just relieved to be back in each others company again after several long weeks, before Aang finally spoke.

"So how much did Zuko tell you about what happened?" Katara looked up at him briefly, before cozying up closer.

"He said that you'd been knocked out by an explosion that destroyed the county hall," she replied. "That similar had happened in Mahi Kah a week before. Suki told me that there was a firebender involved in both attacks, and an earthbender in the second. Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Aang shook his head, though his thoughts once more became preoccupied with the rogue firebender, and the cracks in the stone at the council hall. His thoughts soon wandered to his first encounter with the firebender, that pain in his head and the way he, then, had caused a crack in the stone in Mahi Kah. He then thought of that feeling that had overcome him in Yu Dao, just before the explosion. He thought of how easily he had become enraged at Zuko and Katara, how he hadn't felt much like himself at all as he thundered down to the infirmary. And then, yet again, the firebender appeared in his minds eyes. Standing tall and indifferent as his robes billowed with fire.

"Aang?"

He looked down at Katara, who was watching him curiously, her brow furrowed.

"What is it?"

He quickly flashed her a smile, hugging her tight. "Nothing, sorry I was just thinking about what happened in Yu Dao. I don't know what's going on. I've spent the past week traveling to the other Fire Nation colonies in case they decided to attack again, but so far there's been nothing."

"Suki seemed to think that they were rebels," Katara said, though she still eyed him carefully. "Zuko thinks they're just trying to break apart the coalition. I suppose that's the only logical reason for why they would be attacking the colonies and not any other towns. It just seems odd that it's a firebender and an earthbender."

Aang nodded, his fingers playing with the edge of the blanket that Katara had drawn over them.

"Well, what do you think?"

He looked over at her again. Despite the evidence to suggest as such, Aang was still not convinced it was just the coalition that was being targeted. But he had told no one how he had felt in Mahi Kah, or the odd sense of foreboding he got each time he thought of the cloaked firebender. If anyone was safe to talk to about this, then Katara was, but he was scared of how she'd react, or whether she would just tell him that he was imagining it. Katara seemed to understand that there was something he wasn't telling her, however, because she reached up and placed a hand on his cheek.

"Aang, talk to me. What's going on?" His eyes searched her blue ones for a moment, before he sighed.

"I've not told Zuko or anyone this yet," he said. "I don't know if I will tell him, either. But something odd happened in Mahi Kah when I first saw the firebender." Katara sat up straighter. "It was like this intense pain in my head, I couldn't do anything. But I lost control of my bending, I earthbended this huge crack in the ground. Except I can't remember doing it, it was only once the firebender had disappeared and the pain stopped that I'd saw what I'd done."

"Are you sure it was you?" Katara asked. "There was an earthbender in Yu Dao, they could have been there, too." Aang shook his head.

"No, I'm pretty sure it was me." Katara was silent for a moment.

"Well, I think the earthbending was probably just a defense mechanism, you felt powerless with your head hurting like that."

"Maybe."

"But what caused your head to hurt?" Katara bit her lip. "You think it was the firebender, don't you?"

"I don't know what I think," Aang replied. "I just know it doesn't make sense. His bending was powerful, Katara, more powerful than Zuko, than Azula even. I don't like what's happening."

"We'll work it out," Katara said firmly. "That's what we've always done, isn't it?"

Just as Aang went to reply, there came a sharp rap at the door. Realising that there was likely quite a number of people outside demanding an explanation for his previous behaviour, Aang left Katara's side and walked up to the door, opening it. Outside, the head healer stood, her face deadpan, neatly folded red cloth in her hands.

"Master Katara needs her medicine," she said shortly. "And I have brought her a change of clothes. Now, if you'd be so kind." She stepped back, holding one of her arms back towards the infirmary. Aang, getting the hint, looked back at Katara, mouthed _"back soon"_ , and decided that he would do well to try and find Zuko.

On his way to the throne room, Aang had stopped several times to apologise profusely for his actions to the guards he had knocked aside. They seemed in part grateful, and in part shocked that the Avatar had spoken to them directly. Eventually Aang found himself standing outside of the throne room, the guards stepping aside to open the wide doors, announcing his entry. Zuko was there, though he elected to sit at the long table down the center of the room rather than on the throne itself, his legs crossed beneath him and he poured over a mountain of paperwork. Suki stood at his side, and she shot Aang an angry scowl as he entered. The Firelord, looking up from his paperwork, still seemed a little nervous.

"Hi Zuko," Aang said awkwardly, as the guards shut the door behind him. "Hi Suki."

"Hello Aang," Suki replied shortly.

"Look," Aang started, staying where he was. "I'm sorry for my reaction earlier, it was uncalled for, and I shouldn't have let myself get that angry." Suki eyed him for a moment, before her expression softened.

"It's ok, Aang," she said. "You were just worried about Katara."

"She was going to find out at some point anyway," Aang replied with a sigh. He looked with some concern at Zuko now, who had yet to say anything. But the Firelord had stood, walking up to Aang before clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Apology accepted, buddy," he said. "And I'm sorry that I put Katara in danger like that. I should have known that she wouldn't have stayed in the South Pole. I wasn't thinking."

"Apology also accepted," Aang said with a big grin. "So," he looked over at the paperwork on the table, "busy much?"

"Very," Zuko replied, his shoulders slumping as he turned and made his way back to the table. "This is everything that I need to go through and sign in light of the change in our agreement with Yu Dao. Plus," he added grimly, "the accounts so that we can see if there's anything to be spared towards repairing the City. Because, even if they're cheapskates, the _Firelord_ doesn't need to be." But there was definitely bitterness in his voice as he said that. Aang sat down opposite Zuko, reaching across and picking up the top sheet of paper, skimming it. He grimaced, dropping it back on the pile.

"I can't say I envy you."

"I take it nothing has happened in any of the colonies?" Zuko asked, now looking back at the parchment in front of him and grabbing a quill.

"Nope." Aang looked about the throne room. "But that doesn't mean it won't. I should probably get back there as soon as Katara is well enough to travel."

"She's going back with you then, I take it?" Aang looked over at Suki, who still stood at Zuko's side.

"We've not spoken about it yet, but I can't really see her wanting to do anything else. Though, I should send a hawk to the South Pole to let Sokka and Hakoda know she's safe."

"Already done," Zuko said, almost dismissively, before blowing gently on a signature and putting the sheet of paper aside. "I sent something as soon as she woke up. I'm willing to bet either they didn't know she was leaving or they couldn't stop her, so I wouldn't be too shocked if Sokka, at least, turned up here in time."

"What is wrong with those two?" Suki tutted. "We've said everything was fine, why do they insist on coming over to find out for themselves." Aang raised an eyebrow.

"But surely you'll be pleased to see Sokka again?"

"Well, yeh," Suki replied. "But I'm busy, and so is he."

Aang blinked, glancing across at Zuko, though he seemed notably unpinterested by what was being said.

"Ok, well I'm going to go and check that Appa has been stabled ok, and then go and see Katara," Aang announced, standing.

"Join us for dinner, Aang," Zuko muttered, nose almost touching the parchment as he jotted several notes in his elaborate cursive. "Katara too if she's well enough." Aang nodded, waving at them before leaving the throne room.

Now that the sun had made its full ascent in the sky, the gentle sound of the hub bub of the Fire Nation Capital could be heard through the high stone walls that surrounded the gardens of the Palace. The stables were to be found round the back of the Palace, and though not strictly accessible via the gardens, Aang had decided to take a stroll regardless, figuring he could quickly hop over the wall once he reached the end of the beautiful flowering circle of land. He was still preoccupied with thoughts of what had gone down in Yu Dao, but also how he had lost his temper in such an extreme way. Luckily, it seemed that no one was to be holding any grudges against him, but he still couldn't help but feel ashamed of himself. In his own way, Zuko had just been trying to help, and though he still couldn't believe how close he had come to losing her, he supposed he should feel happy that Katara would put aside everything to make sure that he was ok. An unconscious smile brightened his features as he thought of her and, pausing by one of the flowerbeds, he picked a small white flower, slipping it gently into his front pocket. For better or worse, they were back together again. And he hoped that he could soon take them both back to the South Pole for a real break. At that thought, however, darkness plagued him once more. He knew full well that, whatever the deal was with that cloaked firebender, things were far from over.

Deftly, he scaled the stone wall at the end of the garden, surprising a couple of dignitaries that had been walking the circumference of the Palace walls. He nodded his head to them, trying not to laugh at the look of shock on their puffed up faces, and turned right in the direction of the stables. Appa was fast asleep, he was relieved to see, and didn't seem overly stressed by the swift journey that had made from Yu Dao. As he approached, Appa opened one large brown eye.

"Katara's fine, buddy." Appa groaned sleepily and shut his eye once more. Aang patted him gently, checked that some fresh hay had been left in the stall with him, and then decided that maybe now it would be safe for him to go back and see Katara. Back in the infirmary, however, he came face to face with the angry head nurse, who told him that Katara was sleeping and under no circumstances should she be disturbed.

"Can't I at least see that she's ok?" Aang asked, but his shoulders had been grabbed and he had been roughly turned around, the nurse pushing him away before shutting the door sharply behind him. Grumbling angrily to himself, Aang decided there was nothing else for him to do but sit with Zuko and Suki in the throne room until dinner.

Dinner arrived later that evening, announced by the Palace's finest chef. Aang had spent much of the day lying on his back on the raised stage upon which the throne sat, one leg crossed over the over as he made spheres of air swirl above him, thinking of Katara and what he was going to do when he got back to Yu Dao, and he was grateful for the interruption. Zuko, too, seemed relieved, gladly pushing his parchments aside.

"Could you find out if Master Katara is well enough to join us?" Zuko asked one of the guards, who bowed deeply and left the room just as the double doors were opened once more by the trolley of delicious smelling food was wheeled in. Zuko thanked the cooks, and realising how hungry he was, Aang hopped down from the stage to join them.

"This will be vegetarian, Aang," Zuko said, pointing towards one of the bowls. It was to Aang's huge relief, however, when ten minutes later the door to the throne room opened once more, and in stepped Katara, with the guard at her side.

She did look much better, her skin has regained its usual colour, the top layer of her hair had been pulled into a bun, leaving her signature loopies framing her face. Despite her apparent good health, however, Aang jumped to his feet, holding his arm out for her so that he could lead her back to the table. Katara rolled her eyes.

"Suck up."

Grinning broadly at her, Aang sat back down, and the guard left them to their privacy.

"How are you feeling now, Katara?" Suki asked, a shadow of concern still on her face.

"Much better, thank you." The waterbender had already started to load whatever food was left onto her plate, her stomach audibly growling with hunger. "Though a little sick of tea."

"Don't let Uncle hear you say that," Zuko warned, his voice unclear as to whether he was joking or serious.

"So, how is it at the South Pole?" Suki leaned forward, her own meal finished. "Is Sokka ok?"

"Yeh, it's all going well," Katara replied between mouthfuls of food. "For the most part Sokka has been helping with the extensions being made to the village. He made his watch tower, of course," she rolled her eyes, "but we're also on the way to getting a dock built. Oh," she added in an excited voice, "there are two more expecting mothers as well now, which will be exciting for everyone. Gran Gran has this crazy idea that maybe another waterbender will be born, which seems far-fetched but, well, I'm here aren't I?"

"How is she, your grandmother?" Aang asked seriously. Katara's face twitched uncomfortably.

"Well, she seemed a bit brighter when I left," she said slowly. "But she's been really unwell for a long time. It's just waiting game now, I guess."

"Did you have any luck healing her?"

"No," Katara said quietly, looking over at Suki. "I don't know what's wrong with her."

Aang reached over and grasped her hand, squeezing it gently.

"But she has dad, and Pakku," Katara said, as though she was trying to convince herself more than she was the others. "But, I shouldn't stay away for too long."

Aang had expected as such, of course, but he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Katara was already thinking about when she should head home. In truth, where they would end up, how their lives would entangle in the future, was something that they hadn't yet talked about. It wasn't that they were avoiding it, it was more that there never really seemed like there was much room for them in the past four years to really talk about what their lives held outside of the coalition, of reuniting nations and restoring peace. However, in the last two months Aang had been brought quite painfully to earth where their future was concerned ... Katara was needed in the South Pole. He in the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation. And he wasn't sure how long that would remain the case.

"Well, you're welcome here for as long as you need to recover," Zuko had said, rousing Aang from his thoughts.

"Honestly I just want to find out what's going on in the Earth Kingdom and with that firebender," Katara said seriously. Zuko looked across at her guardedly.

"I don't know what else we can do right now," he said. "Short of waiting for another attack that is."

"What about ..." Katara hesitated, glancing quickly at Aang before pressing forward. "What about speaking to Ukano?" Zuko immediately stiffened. "I know you don't want to, but he may still have information on other Loyalists. Maybe Aang could-"

"There is nothing Ukano can tell me that he hasn't said already," the Firelord interrupted shortly, bring a swift end to the conversation. Aang gave Katara's hand another squeeze under the table, trying to convey that Zuko's reaction to her wasn't anything personal.

The rest of the meal continued in an uncomfortable silence, until Katara decided that she would excuse herself. The nurse had wanted her to take more medicine before she went to bed that night, and she was feeling tired.

"I'll come with you, make sure you get there ok," Aang said sweetly.

"Get there ok? Sweetie, it's not like I'll be walking far!" Katara laughed.

"I know but ... well, you're not well and it's my boyfriend duty to make sure you don't have to go on your own."

"Your usual rooms are already set up," Zuko offered, having already turned back to his paperwork and pushing his food to the side. "Sleep well."

"You too, Zuko." Aang looked over at Suki, who gave him a sad sort of shrug, and he and Katara made their way back to the infirmary.

"I'll wait here," Aang said, as they got to the door. "Agoya keeps chasing me off." He narrowed his eyes at the door, shuddering slightly at the thought of the angry head nurse.

"You mean to tell me that the almighty and powerful Avatar is scared of getting told off by a nurse?" Katara teased.

"She is, hands down, ten times scarier than Ozai ever was," Aang muttered, not wanting to be overheard. Katara giggled, before reaching up and kissing him on the cheek. Aang was suddenly very aware that it was the first kiss they'd shared since they had seen each other again for the first time in months this morning. Still smiling, Katara entered the infirmary, the door swinging shut behind her, and a giddy sort of smile sat on his lips as he leaned back against the wall. Sure, she may want to head back to the South Pole before long, and there was a mad man setting fire to the colonies, but for the moment they were together again.

When she finally came back through the swinging door, Aang held his hand out for her. "You sure you don't need to spend another night there?" He asked. Katara shook her head.

"They keep it way too warm in there," she complained. "I've been living in the South Pole for the past two months, the Fire Nation is like a furnace." Together they made their way towards where their usual rooms stood waiting. They had been to the Fire Nation enough times now for Zuko to have a pair of rooms set up for them at all times, just in case they should stop by for a few days. Of course, Zuko still assumed, as did Sokka, that Aang and Katara slept in separate rooms. In truth, they still had, until a few months before Katara had left to the South Pole. It was never a conscious decision on their part. One night Aang had been in Katara's room after a particularly tough days negotiations, the pair sat on the bed talking through things, before they both passed out from exhaustion in each others arms. After that point, they'd never felt inclined to sleep separately, and so long as Sokka didn't find out, then there was no harm in it.

Tonight, however, as they stopped outside their rooms, Aang had stopped, looking down at her.

"Do you need some space tonight?" Has asked, concerned, Katara raised an eyebrow. "I'd understand if you just need some time, is all." But Katara shook her head immediately.

"No, I sleep better when you're with me."

Aang was glad she had turned to open the door as a happy blush burned his cheeks. Once inside, she headed into the bathroom to change into her nightwear, whilst Aang undressed and sunk gratefully into the silk sheets, yawning widely. It had been a long day, to say the very least, and he knew that they would have no time to relax tomorrow before they had to make plans as to where they were needed best. He heard a gentle creak, looking down to see Katara blowing out one of the lamps before heading over to the bed. He wrapped his arms round her as she climbed until the blankets, squeezing her tight before letting out a contended sigh.

"I've missed you," he said sleepily, nuzzling his face into her hair before kissing her temple.

"I've missed you, too," Katara replied, before rolling over to face him in the bed, her eyes dancing in the moonlight from the open window. They simply lay, smiling softly at each other, Aang reaching up and gently playing with the strands of hair that framed her face.

"You know, everything has felt pretty bleak lately ... the coalition, situations in Yu Dao, the attacks. Zuko," he added with a sigh. "Particularly Zuko, if I'm honest. I'm worried about him, and I know he regrets his decision to banish Mai, even if he won't say it."

"Aang ..." Katara seemed to hesitate a moment, before pushing on. "You know Zuko isn't your responsibility, right? I mean, he's our friend and I know that you want to be there for him. But it's not down to you to be looking out for him all the time."

Aang smiled sadly. "But in a way it is down to me. It's up to me to bring balance to the world, and Zuko is the Firelord, he's a huge part of that balance. If he starts to slip ..."

"What?"

"I don't know," Aang sighed, shifting uncomfortably. "I don't know what I would do if his decisions start impacting the world in a negative way. I'd hope I could talk to him and he would listen. But right now he's hurting, Katara, and he's made some bad decisions, and I need to make sure that nothing more comes of it."

Katara nodded, her hand reaching up to his shoulder, gently stroking up and down his arm. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"We should get some sleep," Aang said. " _You_ should get some sleep."

"Fine, fine," Katara sighed, rolling her eyes good naturedly.

"Although," Aang leaned forward, gently pressing the tip of his nose to hers and giving her a slow smile. "Maybe I could get a kiss first?"

Katara's eyes hooded. "I suppose one kiss couldn't hurt."

Still smiling, Aang leaned in, and their lips and tongues danced a familiar dance that both had missed deeply. With contended sighs, the pair broke apart, snuggling in close and closing their eyes.

_He was running. His breath was catching in his throat. He was aware of pain, in his lungs, his head, his legs. The burning was intense, but he kept on running, though the large red buildings around him seemed to run alongside, growing closer and closer until the path before him seemed to close._

_He was in the air, he had jumped through the gap, and now he tumbled. He hit the ground painfully, clutching his chest and crying out. But there wasn't much time._

_A building appeared before him. Also red, also imposing, but he knew it. The Fire Sages Temple. He climbed to his feet, gasping for air. Suddenly there was a flash of blue, and at the front of the Temple stood Katara. Her face empty of emotion, though one arm was raised, her hand stretching out to him. He reached out._

_His head exploded with pain, he dropped to his knees, just as Katara began to scream. Suddenly, a large black flame billowed out from the Temple, and Katara fell silent. He couldn't move, he couldn't even cry out as he saw her shining blue aura become enveloped by the flame. The Temple shook, the fire roared. Then, he heard Katara begin go cry._

_He was on his feet, arms outstretched as he tried to run to her. Now the Temple exploded, throwing him backwards. He looked up to see the black flames start to form shapes. Two hooded figures, then four, then eight. He tried to yell for Katara, but nothing came out, and he could only watch, eyes wide with fear as he found himself facing twenty of the black, hooded figures._

_"Hello, Aang." He swung round, and behind him in the roaring red chaos, another figure stood. Tall, and hooded also, though slender brown hands slipped out of the sleeves, raising up towards the hood._

_"Who-" Aang's voice came back with a croak. "Katara, where is she?"_

_The hood was pushed back, and looking back at him, a man. Red eyes, slender nose, an unnaturally large smile on an otherwise beautiful face. Red tattoos curled across his forehead. His smile paternal._

_"But, Aang ... You_ know _I've been waiting a long time to see you."_

_Aang rose to his feet. The ground hissed, the swirling red miasmas growing violently in size._

_"Katara-"_

_"WHERE IS SHE?!"_

_Wild, howling, animalistic laughs. Aang swung round once more. A figure sat hunched, naked, bony, pale and white as death. Except for a curious blue line down its back. Then, it looked up, long matted hair parted to reveal a face he knew well. Perverted with madness, eyes wide and crazed._

_"WHERE IS SHE?!"_

Aang woke with a yell, sitting straight up in the bed. His heart pounded hard in his chest, his body dripping with a cold sweat, his hands shaking uncontrollably as he gripped the sheets. Katara was quick at his side, a hand on his freezing shoulder.

"Aang? Aang what's wrong?"

For a moment he simply sat there gasping, before he raised one shaking hand to his forehead. Images flashed before this eyes ... the Temple, the hooded figures, the dark man with the smile, _Katara_ ... that crazed creature on the stone floor that looked so much like-

"Aang, talk to me!"

Blinking heavily, he turned his head to her. Wide blue eyes looked back at him, and he swallowed.

"It's nothing, sorry, just a bad dream."

He saw Katara frown in the low light coming from the window, her hand withdrew from his shoulder.

"Nothing?" She asked, her tone doubtful. "What happened? What was it about?"

_'I've been waiting a long time to see you ...'_ Aang thought wildly, knowing that there was no way that he could tell her what he had really seen, not just yet, not right now. "Uhh, I don't remember, it's already fading."

Katara looked unconvinced, but to his relief she didn't push the matter. "I don't like this, Aang. The attacks, that firebender, and now this?"

"It's just a bad dream, Katara," Aang said softly, though his voice still quaked slightly and his hands remain unsettled. "You know I get them sometimes."

She eyed him in the dark, eyes narrowed and searching, but finally she sighed, reached out once more to squeeze his shoulder, before laying back down. After a moment, Aang lay down, too, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling for some time before he finally fell back to sleep.


	5. Tonrar

The assumption, on Katara's part, had been to leave the Fire Nation as soon as she were able. She had recovered quickly, so quick that two days after Aang had arrived at the Palace she felt ready and even raring to go to the Earth Kingdom to work out what was going on over there. To her, and Zuko's, surprise however, the Avatar no longer seemed to be in such a rush to get back.

The nightmare still plagued him. The window of his bedroom looked out over the Fire Sage's Temple, and in the morning he would wake long before Katara, sitting up in his bed and staring out over the tall and impressive building that he had seen destroyed in an instant in his dream. All seemed normal, at a glance, there were no strange comings or goings, the Temple, for the most part, stood quiet, the Sages spending long hours inside meditating whilst servants came by with food and water. He'd seen nothing suspicious, nothing that would make him feel like his nightmare would come true. When not in his room, he and Katara would spend their time in the Throne Room with Zuko, helping where they could with some of the agreements and notices that he had to get through before the week was out, regarding the coalition and other matters in the Fire Nation. Zuko could cope with it all on his own, and he knew that Aang was fully aware of that. Aang's desire to hang around so he could help left him, Suki, and Katara quiet uncomfortable.

On the third day, Aang had announced, somewhat suddenly, that he wanted to go down to Harbor City, the area below the volcano that bustled around the docks. Surprised, Zuko had asked what for.

"Well, as you said before, it's likely that Sokka will be headed this way after finding out Katara is here," Aang replied. "I want to tell the harbor master to expect him."

"A hawk would do," Zuko replied, but Katara interrupted him.

"No, I think that's a good idea, I could do with getting out of the Palace for a while," she said. She saw Aang flash her the smallest look of resignation.

"Well, if that's the case," Zuko pushed his finished breakfast aside, sitting up straight, his back cracking. "I don't suppose you could do me a favor?"

"Sure, Zuko," Katara replied, smiling. "What do you need?"

"Well, Kiyi's still ... well, she still hasn't warmed to mothers new, or old, face. It's really putting a strain on her, I promised that I would take Kiyi out so she and Ikem could have a chance to talk but ..." he gestured to the pile of parchments that still lay on the table. "Do you think you could take Kiyi into town with you?"

Aang wanted to say no, watching Kiyi would only make it harder to watch out for anything unusual going on in the city, but he was determined not to let on to anybody that he was still concerned that something may happen after the nightmare he had, so he nodded.

"Yeh, that's fine, Zuko."

"Good," Zuko replied, grinning broadly for the first time in several days. "I'll just go and get her."

Fifteen minutes later, Aang, Katara and young Kiyi were leaving the Palace, the latter ahead of them, skipping happily, one arm held outright with her doll, also named Kiyi, swinging from her hand. It wasn't that Aang minded spending time with the girl, she had taken a shine to him after he had taught her how to ride dolphin fish the previous year and it was always a good excuse for him to behave a little more childishly that he was usually expected to, but his nightmare had unsettled him greatly. He hadn't told Katara about it yet, but the image of the Fire Sage's Temple exploding had left him feeling certain that he couldn't leave the Fire Nation just yet. The hooded firebender and the others had to be here, they just had to.

"Can we go on Appa?" Kiyi asked, excitedly.

"It's not that far, Kiyi," Katara replied. "Don't you want to walk?"

Kiyi stuck out her tongue as if in disgust. "Urgh, walking? Why would we do that when Appa can fly?"

Aang looked sideways at Katara, unable to stop the wide grin from spreading across his face. "She has got a point." He looked back over at Kiyi. "Flying it is!"

Kiyi let out a whoop of triumph, holding her arms outstretched and running off ahead of them making whooshing noises.

"You are such a push over," Katara giggled.

When they rounded the corner to the stables, it was to find Kiyi heaving the heavy saddle over to a rather bemused Appa, who blinked slowly at her. When Appa noticed the two older humans heading towards him, he let out a low growl of what sounded like relief.

"Kiyi that's way too heavy for you," Aang said quickly, hurrying over as the girl tried lifting the saddle once more.

"No, it's not!" Kiyi insisted. "Zuzu said that I was really strong, and Zuzu is always right!" Aang couldn't help but exchange a somewhat saddened glance with Katara, before he turned back to the little girl.

"Ok, then," he said. "Well, why don't you try again?"

Kiyi, to Aang's amusement, spat on both her palms, before rubbing them together. It reminded him so strongly of Toph that he was certain she would have been impressed by the girl, and he watched as Kiyi grabbed the saddle once more.

"Ready?" Aang asked. "Heave!"

Hands behind his back, he sent a gust of air beneath the saddle as Kiyi tried to lift, and the girl let out an explanation of joy.

"Throw it up there," Aang instructed, and with help of his airbending, Kiyi threw the saddle up and it landed gently on Appa's back.

"I told you!" Kiyi yelled triumphantly. "I. Am amazing."

"Sure are," Aang agreed, his voice impressed. "Come on up you get." He picked her up and let her climb up onto Appa's saddle, before reaching out a hand and helping Katara to do the same. He then jumped up onto Appa's head to commence the very short trip down to the city at the foot of the volcano. Kiyi chattered excitedly the entire time.

"Can Aang fly?" She asked, peering over the edge of the saddle, whilst Katara kept a steady hold on her shoulder.

"I can glide," Aang replied. "Which is kind of the same thing." He was smiling, though his eyes were already peering down at the city below them, flickering from one end of the city to the other, almost as if he hoped he would see the cloaked firebender from this height. Katara had noticed the intensity with which he was scouring the city, though she quickly had to draw her attention away from him when Kiyi attempted to lean over the saddle once more.

They landed at the stables just on the outskirts of the city, where the stable hand hurried forward to guide Appa into a stall. The bison looked reproachfully over at Aang, clearly irritated that he had been woken up and saddled for such a short journey.

"We won't be long, buddy," Aang said, patting his nose. But Appa snorted irritably at him and followed the hand back to his stall. Vowing to himself that he would make it up to Appa later, Aang turned to follow Katara and Kiyi to the city.

Compared to the much more dignified and tidy area where the Firelord lived, Harbor City was a swarm of activity. Outside of Ba Sing Se, it had grown into the most popular area of trade and commerce on the map, though the city had yet to expand to fit the growing number of people who would swarm to the place daily, some for work, some trade, and others for entertainment. It was well known by now that Harbor City had become the central hub for more unsavory forms of entertainment, including the very illegal and dangerous practice of bending duels, where benders would come to compete for money and fame, and where others would place their bets upon who would survive the battle, and who would not. The Firelord had a task force who had the sole purpose of catching and stopping those partaking in such activities, but even after three years dedicated to stamping out these duels, they had been unable to find out who was responsible for the continued running of the vile sport.

There were areas of the city that were much more favourable to more innocent visitors, and Katara very deliberately steered Kiyi towards the market place, opting to take that route down to the harbor. Aang could not blame her, there were parts of the city that even he wouldn't go. But they, ironically, were exactly where he expected to find who he was looking for. Ahead of him, Kiyi was skipping whilst Katara kept a very firm grip on her hand, and he was allowed some space to look around the city. Through the crowds it wasn't easy for even him to be recognised, and that suited him fine. In fact, he had dressed in his Fire Nation attire today just to make his identity less obvious, and with the growing amount of blue that could be spotted among the travelers and traders, he was relieved to see what Katara's Water Tribe getup wasn't all that unusual either.

"Aang!" He looked up, away from the group of people who had stood huddled close to one another by a stall of various wooden trinkets, to see Katara looking over her shoulder at him. "Maybe we should get one of these to bring back for Sokka, what do you think?"

Aang wandered over to see that she had stopped beside a stall that sold bags in almost every shade imaginable, including one that was so violent a hot pink that it all but made his eyes water looking at it.

"We should get him that one," Aang said, pointing out the hot pink bag. Katara giggled, then began to nose through the less eye watering bags hanging across the top of the stall. Kiyi, however, was already looking bored, and had started trying to pull her hand out of Katara's.

"This is boooring," she complained, before looking back at the stall. "And I can't see a thing!" She looked back at Aang, her face screwed up and demanding. Aang didn't remember Zuko's sister being quite this pushy before she had come back to the Palace, but given Zuko's relationship with his other sister and how few of his friends he had remaining in the Fire Nation when Aang and Katara weren't there, he supposed he couldn't blame dear Zuzu for spoiling her a little.

"Well alright then," Aang sighed heavily, his voice over dramatic. "Come here." He picked her up, before seating her on his shoulders. "Better?"

"Yes, sir!" Kiyi cried, placing her doll round her own shoulders.

Once Katara had chosen a bag for Sokka, she handed over the coins and the trio began to make their way back down to the docks once more. From her new vantage point, Kiyi seemed to have found a lot more to talk about, and despite his desire to keep a close vigil on the people surrounding them, he found it very hard not to laugh.

"Do you think that man has a really big hat or a really big head? I don't think that seal dog can really talk. Why do all these people have hair when you don't? Why are there so many people yelling about fish? Because we're next to the sea and there are loads in there, it's not that impressive. Why does that man have hair on his face and not his head? Do all bald people know each other? I don't think that platypus sloth can really sing."

Katara walked beside Aang, her own hand over her mouth as she tried hard not to laugh at Kiyi's colourful narrative of their short walk down to the harbor, and she kept glancing at Aang with a curiously bright and significant look on her face. Before long they had passed through the market, Aang both glad yet unnerved to have seen nothing of significance on the way, and were walking down the wooden slope that led to the dockyards. The harbor, like everything else in the city, was a hum of activity, people carrying large nets and crates to and from ships and carts being carried by ostrich horses and fly-accosted hippo bulls. The place smelled strongly of fish, and wood, and seaweed, and several times Aang had had to jump quickly out of the way as planks of woods swung round in his direction or carts trundled past. Before long, however, they had worked their way towards a small hut that stood towards the end of the docks, its door wide open, as a large, muscular man sat on a wooden chair that seemed to be straining under the weight of its almost constant occupant. At his side a large polar bear dog lay, head on its paws as it watched the comings and goings of the docks. The large man looked up as he saw them approaching, the angry furrow on his brow swiftly dropping when he realised who they were.

"Master Katara!" He said brightly, getting to his large feet and grabbing her hand, upon which he placed a rather unnecessary kiss, in Aang's opinion. "And of course, Avatar Aang." He took Aang's hand too, though shook it. His eyes glanced up at Kiyi on Aang's shoulders. "One of yours?" He asked brightly, before giving Aang a very exaggerated wink.

"Uh, no," Aang replied uncomfortably. "This is Kiyi, Firelord Zuko's sister."

"I know, I know," the man roared, this time nudging Katara and winking heavily at her. "Just messing with you boy! Now, what can I do for you?"

Katara cast Aang a look that clearly said to hurry up, and he flashed the man what he hoped was a convincing smile.

"We're expecting a ship here over the next week or so, from the South Pole, Vidhi," Aang replied.

"Ah right," Vidhi said, clapping his large hands together, making a noise loud enough to make Kiyi, who had fallen unusually quiet since they began speaking to the muscled mountain, jump. "Well then, let me grab my list!"

Vidhi disappeared into the hut, and the polar bear dog on the floor turned its head and let out a low whining grown that sounded almost irritable as it looked at them.

"You alright up there, monster?" Aang asked Kiyi, who was now wrapping her arms around his forehead. The little girl didn't answer, and Aang looked across at Katara who nodded her head somewhat angrily in the direction of the hut.

"Ah here we are!" Boomed Vidhi from inside, coming out with a pad and and freshly inked quill, tongue sticking out through his teeth as he's jotted something down. "Ship ... this ... week. Right!" He looked up at them. "Anything else I can do ya for?"

"No, that's everything," Katara replied quickly, flashing her own fake smile at him.

"I'll be down at some point in the week then," Aang said, already turning to leave. "When Sokka turns up."

"Whoa whoa, hold it now," Vidhi said, laughing though his voice was tipped in irritation. "I have something I need to talk to you about actually, now you're down here." Interested, apprehensive, and surprised, Aang looked back.

"There's been a few strange folk round here," Vidhi continued, now crossing his trunk like arms across his chest. "Just this morning a friend of yours turned up, he was catching a lift on one of the fishing ships, you see. Anyway, rude bloke he was, pushed his way right past me when he got off the ship. I asked him what his business was here, said his business was with the Avatar only and that I should mind my own."

"Who was he?" Aang asked sharply.

"I dunno, he was gone before I could get his name."

"What did he look like?" Aang pressed. Vidhi shrugged.

"I dunno about that either, he kept his hood up. Either way, we get enough questionable sorts here, you should tell your friends to be a bit more considerate next time." Aang felt his stomach twist up in knots, and his breath catch in his chest.

"Yes, sorry, Vidhi, I'll remind people to be more polite in future."

Vidhi seemed to cheer up immediately, grabbing Aang's hand and shaking it again.

"No harm done, now I'll catch you later on, your welcome to bring your young lady down again, too." He threw Katara another wink, a tight smile twitched upon her lips before she quickly turned her back before the man could grab her hand again. Aang inclined his head, keeping a hold of Kiyi as he did so, before turning sharply on his heals and walking back up the dock.

"Aang?" Katara was at his side, her voice low. "You don't think ..?"

"It has to be, doesn't it?" Aang replied, his voice equally as low, trying not to let Kiyi hear. In silence they walked back up the wooden walkway, before Kiyi finally seemed to rouse again.

"I didn't like that man," she said, in a small voice. "He was too big and loud and scary." At that point, Aang stopped, reaching up and lifting Kiyi from his shoulders. He stood her on the floor, before squatting down in front of her.

"It's ok, you don't need to see him again," he told her brightly. "How about we grab some ice cream and head back up to the Palace?" At those words, Kiyi brightened up, a grin returning to her round face.

"That sounds like a deal!"

Katara took Kiyi's hand once more, and the trio walked back through the market, though this time Aang was even more on alert, eyes flicking left to right as he carefully inspected any and all they walked past. Katara, too, seemed tense, and her hand was gripping Kiyi's firmly much to the young girls displeasure. Someone was here, Aang knew, someone had come to the Fire Nation. The hooded firebender. The man from his nightmare. The earthbender, too? But no, Vidhi had only mentioned one cloaked figure. Just the one.

Before long they had found themselves at the stall that sold such a huge variety of ice cream flavours that it took Kiyi the best part of ten minutes to finally decide what she wanted. Aang, distracted, stood nearby, eyes ceaselessly search the street. Vidhi has said that the hooded figure had told him that his business was with the Avatar ... Were his gut feelings right? Did this have nothing to do with the coalition, after all?

"Come on then, Kiyi, let's head back to Appa, huh?"

Upon hearing Katara's voice, Aang took Kiyi's hand as they continued their passage upwards through the market. If not the coalition then what? What was it they wanted? Him? Was the burning and destruction of Mahi Kah and Yu Dao just to anger him? Frighten him?

"Kiyi, sweetie, be careful you're going to drop your ice cream."

Maybe it was more than that. Maybe it had nothing, really, to do with him or the coalition. But, it had to be ... the nightmares. And then that pain in his head, their attack on two coalition towns.

"Those men must be hot in all those robes."

Kiyi's high and matter of fact voice roused him from his thoughts in an instant. He looked down at her, seeing her staring quizzically to their left. Swiftly he swung round, and a ringing seemed to fill his ears. There, clear as day, two robed figures stood in an alleyway that led down to a darker part of the city, facing the three of them and, though he could not see their faces, he knew looking straight at him. In a heartbeat he had picked up Kiyi, handing her to Katara.

"Stay right here!"

Before Katara could do so much as protest, he marched towards the figures, regretting for a moment his decision to leave his staff back up at the Palace.

"Hey," he called sharply. "You there!"

A few of the shoppers seemed to look round at the sound of Aang's voice, their perusing of the stalls now less interesting than what certainly seemed to be the Avatar marching with meaning across the width of the street. The hooded figures, for a moment, seemed not to react before, with eerie unison, they turned, cloaks flicking out behind them as they made their way down the alleyway.

"Stop," Aang demanded, but their pace began to quick and he realised that he was going to have to chase them. He just heard Katara's voice, but it seemed his mind was abuzz and his ears ringing so loudly that he couldn't take heed. Just as his own pace started to quicken, the robbed figures broke out into a run. His chest filled with both panic and determination, and he took off.

They seemed to know the alleyways well, not slowing in their gait as they turned sharp corners, robes billowing out sharply behind them. Aang realised, as he raced after the pair of mysterious figures, that they were leading him deeper and deeper into the darker and less sociable part of the city, but he had no time to worry about that. He was fast, but somehow with each burst of speed he put on they seemed to match it in kind, keeping him just far enough behind them to prevent him from catching more than a passing glace at them. Deep in his mind he knew that they were leading him somewhere, they didn't want him to see them, just where they were going, and as certain as he felt that he could be running into a trap, there was no way he could let them escape. He needed to know. Had to know. Then, suddenly, as he jumped neatly over a large skip, passing two bemused women in ripped and dirty clothing and rounding a corner, he found himself skidding to a halt. They had stopped, turning in what seemed to be a dead end to face him. Cautiously, Aang approached, eyes narrowed.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "What are you doing here? What do you want from me?"

Neither figure answered, standing silent and still. Aang, raising a fist, pulled a large chunk of the paving up from below them, hovering it threateningly close to them.

"I'll ask you one more time," he said, his voice low and even despite how much his body felt to be shaking. "Who are you?" Still, they refused to answer, refused even to move. "Lower your hoods," Aang demanded loudly, before in a heartbeat, his world exploded in pain.

His head felt like it was going to crack, his joints seemed to scream in agony. He knew he had yelled out, knew that he had raised his arms, and knew that the chunk of earth he held aloft had been thrown bodily behind him. A scream broke his consciousness, and the pain stopped, his knees buckling and his body hitting the hard floor.

"Are you crazy?" A shrill squeal made him look up, and he saw to his horror that one of the women he had passed lay on the ground, eyes wide and chest heaving, as the paving slabs lay in a heap just beside her, part of the wall of the nearest building cracked. Beside her her friend stood, now trying to help her from the ground.

Panting, Aang swung back round, looking back to the dead end which, just as he had expected it would be, was empty.

**o0o0o**

"Whoa, Aang, slow down, what exactly happened?"

The Avatar was pacing back and forth in the throne room of the palace, the Firelord himself sat upon the throne on the plinth, with Katara, Suki, and Ty Lee sitting and standing close by. Kiyi was back with her father, mercifully nought but curious over what had happened in the lower city and why Aang had run off after the robed men. Aang's ears still seemed to be ringing, though whether it was due to the thoughts swimming in his head or the aftermath of the pain that had exploded in his temples he neither knew nor cared. With hardly a word he had hurried back to Katara's side after his encounter with the robed figures, before hurrying her and Kiyi back up to Appa. Katara, though no doubt concerned, hadn't spoken, instead sitting with Kiyi on her lap, watching Aang closely, and she had still to say a single word.

"I told you, Zuko. Kiyi spotted them, I went after them and they ran. When I cornered them in a dead end and asked who they were, they didn't answer. And then they just ... vanished." He had kept what had happened the seconds prior to their disappearance to himself, the women had accepted an apology before hurrying away from him, and no one else had witnessed him fall to the ground and lose control of his bending. No one, certainly not Zuko, needed to know about that.

"But what do you mean vanished?" Zuko pressed, brow furrowed and palms facing upwards. "Was there any smoke? Any bending? Fire like last time?"

"No," Aang replied, exasperated. "There was nothing. One second they were there, and then they weren't."

He could sense rather than see Zuko exchanging an uncertain glace with Suki, knew that they both must be doubting him at this point, but that wasn't his concern. What was however, was that he had lost control of his bending in front of these robed figures for the third time. That this time there had been two of them. That in his nightmare there had been yet more. What concerned him was knowing that the robed figures were in the city, and that he had seen with great clarity the Fire Sage's Temple burned to the ground just days before.

"And you said that at least one of them arrived by ship?" Suki prompted, taking over whilst Zuko looked down at the pacing Aang with guarded apprehension.

"Yes."

"But if these ... people, for want of a better word, are able to just appear and disappear into thin air, why would they need to take a ship to get here?"

"I don't know," Aang replied, his voice now somewhat irritable. "Maybe they can't travel that way."

"So, let me just get this straight," Zuko interrupted, his hand at his temple. "These people keep their hoods up, they are powerful benders, they are destroying coalition towns, they can vanish without a trace, and they're in the capital?"

"That is about the sum of it," Aang grumbled, finally stopping in his pacing, and looking up at Zuko. "If it was just the disappearing I would say they were spirits, but spirits cannot bend. They just can't. And it seems even less likely still that there can be a firebender as powerful as the one I met in Mahi Kah outside of Sozin's Comet."

"Irrespective of what they actually are," Suki had stood now, walking forward to stand beside Aang as she also looked up at the Firelord, "they are here. And if Mahi Kah and Yu Dao are anything to go by, we should expect an attack. And a big one."

"Right," Aang agreed. "There should be watches and guards posted at each of the important places in the capital ... the Palace, the Coronation Temple, the harbor, the banks, the prison ..."

"The prison?" Zuko asked, his voice now sharp and his amber eyes meeting Aang's.

"We don't know exactly what they're after, Zuko." Aang's voice now lost its edge, as he realised how painful it was for Zuko to think about who was locked up in that prison. "We should cover all our bases, just in case."

The dark shadow that had crossed so suddenly over Zukos's face began to fade, and he took a long steady breath, hands falling to his lap and closing his eyes. For a moment, no one spoke, waiting to see what the Firelord would ask of them, and after what seemed an age, the burning amber eyes opened, and his gaze snapped to Ty Lee.

"Ty Lee, I need you to find General Mamoru and bring her here. Suki, after the Palace itself the biggest loss to the capital would be the harbor, I want you and the other Kyoshi Warriors down in Harbor City, and a squad of Mamoru's guards will be assigned to help you. Ty Lee, join her once you have brought Mamoru here."

Suki and Ty Lee nodded, and at one turned on their heels to leave the room.

"Aang, I need you to stay here."

Aang raised his brow in surprise. "But, surely I would be better placed out there, helping."

"These people set the entire of Mahi Kah on fire, and they destroyed the very heart of Yu Dao. It stands to reason that the Palace is their target. Aang, all that's left of my family is here, you're the only one that I can trust to look out for them. Please." The plea was clear across Zuko's face, and Aang nodded.

"Ok, Zuko."

"Katara, I know this is a waste of your talents, but if there is an attack and we can't stop it, I'll need someone to put out fires, take care of anyone who's injured ..."

"Don't worry, Zuko, I can take care of that." Katara stood from her seat at the table. "I'll go down the infirmary, any of the healers who can waterbend will be on hand to get people out, we'll keep some people down there just in case we need to rush anyone back."

"Thank you, Katara," Zuko let out an audible sigh of relief. "There's one other thing I don't understand, though. Why would they show themselves to you?" He looked, now, at Aang. "Why show themselves and give us time to prepare for an attack?"

Truthfully, Aang had no answer, he didn't know any more about these robed figures than Zuko did, other than the affect that they seemed to have on him. "I don't know. Intimidation maybe? But whatever reason, we'll take advantage of being able to prepare first."

Aang and Katara left the throne room just moments later, and General Mamoru had arrived, accompanied by two of her most trusted guards, one serious looking woman with a crew cut, and another long red haired man who broke character just quickly enough to flash them a wide grin as he passed. Katara walked slightly ahead of him, her face unreadable, and Aang followed after her his own mind still racing.

He would have to watch the Sage's Temple, even if there were other guards on point. He had to be the first on the scene, the first to act, if he saw them. To stop them before they can even think of burning it down. But with Zuko asking him to watch over the Palace and his family, it was going to be tricky. He would need to be able to see the Temple, at the very least, at all times.

"Are you at least going to tell me the truth?"

Aang stopped short, Katara's cool voice derailing his train of thought.

"Wh-"

"You didn't just have a bad dream the other night," she continued, now stood resolutely in front of him after double checking they were alone, her arms crossed across her chest. "And even if you couldn't tell Zuko, you did tell me about the affect those spirits or whatever they are had on you, the way you lost control of your bending around them. More happened in that alley than what you're telling us."

He should have expected this. He, too, double checked the hall to make sure there were no eavesdroppers, before letting out a heavy sigh.

"Ok, I lost control again. But only for a second, Katara, and they were gone before it was even over."

Katara's expression was so exasperated that he flinched. Her hands dropped to her sides and she shook her head.

"You need to tell Zuko."

"Why?" He had all but yelled this, before he hurriedly lowered his voice. "Katara, Zuko has enough on his plate without worrying about his, too. I can handle it, ok?" His girlfriends eyes flashed dangerously. "I just wasn't ready, and it caught me by surprise, that's all."

She eyed him for a moment longer, before her shoulders sagged and she rolled her eyes.

"Fine, ok, but you promise me, Aang, if this gets worse or too much to deal with you will tell Zuko. We can't be taking any risks right now, not with all that's going on."

"I promise." He smiled wryly at her, holding out a hand, before she gave in and took it.

"I'm going to the infirmary," she said. "I don't know how long everyone is going to take, so I'll see you when I see you, ok?"

"See you when I see you," Aang agreed. His kissed her against the cheek, squeezing her hand briefly, before she let go and hurried off down the hallway. A quick glance out of the window told him that it was growing dark, if they were going to make a move any time soon then tonight would be as good as any. With a decisive nod of his head, he too turned, and made for the direction of his room where his glider lay.

**oOoOo**

It was much later that night that Aang found himself, sat on the balcony of Kiyi's bedroom, looking intently down at the slow flashing of torches lighting the city below him. Kiyi, and her parents Ursa and Ikem, sat on the bed in the room behind him, their hushed tones light as they tried to stop their daughter from getting bored or worried. It was by pure luck that the Fire Sage's Temple was visible from Kiyi's room, as well as much of the comings and goings of the guards in the street below. He had spotted Katara at one point, speaking with one of the healers and a guard, but otherwise he was yet to see anyone he was familiar with and, certainly with huge relief, anything unusual happening at the Temple. Zuko remained in the Palace, coordinating the guard, but other than popping by an hour into Aang's shift to check that his family was comfortable, Aang hadn't seen him since. As honored as he felt that Zuko would trust him so completely with his family, Aang couldn't help but feel frustrated that he wasn't on the street himself, able to see and hear what was going on with much more clarity.

In spite of himself, as he sat on the edge of the balcony, glider resting on his lap and eyes ceaselessly roaming, he found himself thinking about how beautiful the Fire Nation Capital had become. Certainly, in Firelord Ozai's rule, the place had been impressive, but the loss of his influence over it had become more and more clear in the years since Ozai's fall from power. There was more greenery to be seen, a small central market that usually remained open late in the night had been erected in the center where a statue of the former Firelord had once stood, and there were less military campuses and more homes and gardens. The capital's bank stood dark yet delicate not far from the center, its stone an even maroon laced with cream, where once people men and women and children had stood reciting the national anthem. From his perch he could see just over the edge of the crater in which the Royal Caldera City itself stood, and the reflection of the moon was just visible on the inky waters beyond. This had become a place worthy of his protection, a place where there now stood hope where there had once been fear, and his stomach stirred uncomfortably as flashes of his nightmares came back to him.

"It's been very quiet out there." Aang looked round to see Zuko's mother, Ursa, standing in the doorway and looking out over the city. As sad as she was beautiful, she cast an almost ethereal figure in the dark. With one daughter locked up, another who thought of her as a stranger, and a son who had been crowned Firelord long before his time, Aang had always felt deep empathy towards her. Her sadness reminded him of his own losses during the war, and that there was still so much more to be done to make up for it.

"No sign of anything yet," Aang replied, his voice low so that Kiyi and Ikem couldn't hear him. Ursa remained standing in silence behind him, and he turned his attention back to the Temple. A small part of him found himself wondering, perhaps hoping, that there wasn't going to be an attack after all. That the hooded figures presence in the city was just to unsettle him, and that they knew there was no way they could direct a successful charge at such a well protected and alert capital.

"Avatar Aang, I wanted to thank you for looking after Kiyi today."

Ursa's quiet voice broke his attention from activities below him. He looked back at her again to see a smile on her face, small and unable to hide the sadness that was evident in her tone.

"That's ok, Miss Zuko," he replied, surprised. "You don't have to thank me."

For a moment, Ursa seemed taken aback, and then she laughed softly. "You can call me Ursa! And I do have to thank you. For so much more than just looking out for Kiyi. You've been a friend to Zuko, and given what our family has done to you and your people, you didn't have to be."

"What Sozin, Azulon, Ozai, did in the war wasn't Zuko's fault. We may not have won without Zuko's help, and he's a good person. A good friend."

Ursa smiled again, her eyes looking back out over the city again, and Aang suddenly had a feeling that he knew what was still bothering her.

"It's not your fault either," he said softly. "Zuko doesn't blame you for having to leave. He knows better than anyone what Ozai was capable of, and if anything I think he's happy that you left." But Ursa just shook her head.

"That's kind of you to say, Aang, but I know that there were mistakes made on my part, and I know that I don't deserve to have had Zuko accept things so readily." At that, she glanced involuntarily back into the bedroom behind her, and Kiyi lying fast asleep with her head on her father's lap. Aang opened his mouth to reply, to tell her that in time Kiyi would come round and be as willing to take her mother back as Zuko had been, but a strange sensation seemed to wash over him. Like ripples of electricity in the air, sparking against his skin. He looked sharply back to the Sage's Temple, fully expecting to see it surrounded by dozens of the hooded figures, but the streets looked clear aside from a trail of torches to the right as the guards moved by.

"What is it? Is there something there?"

"I don't know." Aang stepped down from the edge of the balcony. He knew that he wouldn't be able to tell much from this height and distance, but he had to try and see something. He pulled off one of his boots, ignoring the bemused look on Ursa's face, and slammed his heel down into the stone beneath him, eyes closed. Predictably, he felt nothing. Nothing, that was, aside from the electricity dancing across his skin. The guards didn't seem to be worried, there was no rush of activity, no orders being yelled across the still summer night air.

"You should get inside, just to be safe," Aang said back to Ursa, as he pulled his boot back on again. She seemed to hesitate, looking worriedly back over the city, before nodding and going back inside, shutting the sliding door behind her. He climbed back onto the edge of the balcony, his eyes piercing the dark streets below leading up to and around the Temple, looking for a flicker of flame where there should be one, a shadow darker than the others moving soundlessly through the alleys, a russle of activity just outside the Temple. But, even has his confusion started to give way to frustration, the air changed. It wasn't so much electric any more, but an itch across his skin, light and irritating like dozens of tiny gnat bites. And then, just as Aang stood himself up straight from his crouched position, his stomach lurched and he felt almost as though a frenzy of insects were writhing under his skin. He grit his teeth against that uncomfortable feeling, which made him feel angry more than anything else, swatting his hands as if trying to rid himself of the non-existent cloud of biting mosquitoes that was swarming him. And then, it happened. A sickening loud crack that worked its way across the dry summer air, a flash of light so bright that it could blind. Aang, who had raised his hand to shield his eyes, squinted into the direction of the noise knowing, with every fiber of his being, that he was going to see the Fire Sage's Temple up in flames, crumbling and shuddering. Sure enough, as his eyes adjusted to the light, a great and powerful flame burst from the windows, showering the streets below with glass. He had no time to think, to consider how he was going to act, and he raised his glider, leaping bodily from the balcony and thundering towards the Temple.

He could already see people outside, some screaming in horror as they fled the scene, other shouting what sounded like orders. He could see the guards rushing towards the Temple, torches lay abandoned or extinguished on the ground as the fire from the Temple rose so high as to illuminate much of the capital. But even as Aang rushed over, he could see two figures that weren't like the others. His stomach churned so badly he was worried he would gag, the familiarity of the two hooded men standing either side of the Temple with arms raised, and the pain that was already starting to fill his head, was almost too much for him. He grit his teeth once more, knowing that all he had to do was act. If he stopped, for even a second, that pain in his head would overcome him. He would lose control.

With a yell he swung his glider over his head, shutting it into a staff as it blew a blast of air towards the hooded man on the right, throwing him through the air in a tumble of billowing cloak. Even as Aang landed, he felt the ground beneath him begin to shake, churn and growl angrily. Looked down between his feet he saw cracks snaking out like lightning bolts from the Temple, which was now beginning to crumble, leaning dangerously to the right. He then realised, to his horror, that the ground beneath the Temple seemed to be opening up to swallow it whole. The heat of the blazing fire was so great that he was having difficultly breathing, and he could hear the guards behind him, some yelling to one another, others it seemed asking him what to do. He looked to his left, seeing the other cloaked figure, pushing and pulling in a fluid motion in time with the rocking of the building. Just as he raised his staff, he felt the air knocked from his lungs as something large hit him across the side, sending him sprawling across the ground. Grimacing, using his staff to pull himself up, he looked back round and saw two more of the hooded figures, legs bent and fists raised in the unmistakable pose of battle.

**oOoOo**

She was standing close to the Palace doors when she heard the thunderous crack that set her hair on end and made her stomach roll. In her hands she held a collection of buckets, which she and some of the other waterbenders had been working to place around the city so that even civilians had something that they could use against any possible flames. She knew that the sound had come from around the back of the Palace, and she realised with a leap of horror that it was on that side, facing west, that Kiyi's room stood, and Aang along with it. The buckets dropped from her hands, rolling noisily down the steps, and she ran, ignoring those behind her yelling at her, telling her to come back.

She was not the only one rushing in this direction, and she had to fight her way through the wave of soldiers, still miraculously in formation, as they headed towards the source of the commotion. She could feel the heat rising, see the sickening red glow of the fire that must lay ahead. As she ran, her throat burning with her panting, she could see that the way ahead of her was already crowded with firebenders and guardsmen ready to deal with mess ahead, and she skidded to a halt, looking around her wildly. To her left stood an old tree, its trunk bent and twisted and certainly low enough for her to climb up onto. She ran, heaving herself up to the highest branches that would accommodate her weight, before looking into the direction of the huge billowing flame. She could see, clearly, that the Fire Sages Temple was alight. Windows were blown out, spires were falling into the ground below, people seemed almost too frightened to get close enough and the attempts of the firebenders to tame the flames were looking unsuccessful. She could also see, with clarity, the form of Aang, standing much too close to the flames. She watched him raised his staff to his left, before, almost in slow motion, a section of the stone roofing was thrown at him, hitting him hard across the ground. She screamed his name, knuckles white as she gripped the branches, and saw to her great relief Aang pulling himself back up. And then, they became clear. Two hooded figures in front of him, one behind.

"Aang the one behind you!" She moaned, knowing that her voice wouldn't carry. She watched as he got to his feet, back straight and proud, his staff before him, and for perhaps the first time in her life she found herself wishing he would just go into the Avatar State. Just glow blue and take care of it. With an angry snarl she dropped from the tree, running towards the Temple.

**oOoOo**

Aang wasted no time blasting the hooded men away from him, watching their two bodies thrown across the pavement. Even as they landed heavily, they were swiftly back on their feet, and on the attack once more. He leaped into the air, spinning his body and creating a whirlwind of air below him that picked them up once more, and sent them flying again. He turned his attention back to the Temple, and the hood that kept it rocking, the Temple still being swallowed by the angry cracking ground below it. Before he could raise his staff towards him, another chunk of the building detached itself from the Temple and rocketed towards him. He dodged, leaping to his left, and turned his grimacing face towards the two hoods that he had blasted not moments before. He couldn't do anything until he took care of them, and there was still another figure somewhere, he knew, responsible for the fire. He heard yells, and saw the guards approaching cautiously, looking at him for directions, their hands raised for battle.

"The eartbenders," Aang commanded, pointing his hand at the two cloaked men already making their approach. "Deal with them, I'll deal with the fire!"

There was no time to consider anything else. He took a deep breath, put his fists together and closed his eyes. A second later his tattoos and eyes glowed a fiery blue as he took control of the Avatar State. He could already feel that something was wrong, where he would usually feel an eerie calm and control, he felt a fury deep within his chest, a fury that was mirrored in the way his hands instantly curled into fists. But he took another deep breath, the glow dropping as it always did now that he had completely mastered the Avatar State, and he formed another whirlwind below him, this time raising him straight into the air. As he rose, he turned his attention on the great expanse of sea that surrounded the land mass that housed the capital and Harbor City. He raised his arms, aware that the feat of bending that he was about to attempt was perhaps greater than he should be trying with such an unsteady hold over the Avatar State, but knowing he had no other choice. His arms made a dragging motion in the air, as his entire being concentrated on the ocean, the cool feel of it, the power of it, the sound of its low moaning filling his head. He kept working as waves began to form, the water rushing towards a center point almost half a mile away from where Aang himself was suspended in air. Slowly, he felt the water give in to his will, and a funnel of water burst free from the ocean, casting a delightful but altogether frightening array of light from the moon into the capital, displaying the formidable power of the Avatar among them. Breathing steadily, he twisted his body, bending the water high over the harbor and towards himself, before letting it fall on the Temple. The water collided with the stone walls, taking out the fire immediately, and carrying some of the hooded figures and guards with it as it spread out across the street. It wasn't his tidiest bit of bending, but the fire was out, leaving a sickening hiss in its wake. He let himself drop back to the ground, relinquishing his hold on the Avatar State, and looking round. To his dismay he saw that the hooded figures were already at their feet, four of them now, and continuing their assault on the guards, pulling up rocks and pinning them to the ground and the surrounding buildings. The firebender, it seemed, was nowhere to be seen. Aang raised his fists, ready to take on the four rebellious benders, before his entire world exploded in pain.

His skin was stretching across his bones, threatening to tear. His stomach seemed to be trying to rip itself from his very body, the knots in his nerves and tendons causing his body to tense and screw up rightly. His face became a grimace, fighting back screams, as he tried to find the source of his pain through streaming eyes. Then, as soon as it started, it stopped. He collapsed on the ground, panting, his mind abuzz with horror and confusion until he saw, clear and crisp against the slowly rising sun of the dawn, a man. He stood delicately, balancing on a single beam that stood up from the destruction that had one been the Fire Sage's Temple. He wore a dark cloak, just as the other figures had done, though his hood was lowered, and there was nothing but calm in the fire red eyes that were looking back at him.

The air around him grew still. The hoods had stopped fighting, there seemed to be no guards or firebenders left to fight. Then, as one the hooded figures began to retreat. Aang pushed himself up, looking back at the red eyed man with a cold dread in his stomach. Leaning on his staff he climbed to his feet, before locking into a defensive position.

"Who are you?" He demanded, his voice now a snarl. "What do you want?"

The man ahead cocked his head slightly to one side, smiled broadly, before dropping to sit cross-legged on the beam. His face was thin and delicate, beautiful even, were it not for the unnaturally wide smile, the edges of his lips spreading almost entirely across the width of his face. Graceful red tattoos curled across his mahogany forehead. Aang knew this face, for he had dreamed of it. And it frightened him just as much now as it did then. The man shrugged and the cloak fell from his shoulders. He wore a sleeveless tunic underneath with revealed arms tattooed just like his forehead, working across his skin like veins, and seeing that only installed more fear into Aang, fear that he knew must have shown on his face. He grit his teeth, lowered his head, and forced his expression into one of collection.

"I'll ask again," he said, his voice low and as steady as he could muster. "Who are you?"

The man suddenly threw out his hand, palm forward, towards Aang. Instinctively, Aang raised his staff, ready to defend himself, but nothing happened. The red eyed and tattooed man just continued to watch him, head still cocked, a slight smile of curiosity ruining his beautiful features.

"For a monk, there is a an awful lot of anger inside you," he said at last. His voice, like his face, was delicate but terrifying. Cold as ice itself. Aang could think of nothing to say that, and only glared back at the man.

"You see," the stranger continued, "for one as powerful as you, there can be no emotion more dangerous than anger. Anger controls you. And you cannot let your emotions control you."

Aang felt his skin start to itch again, and ground his teeth together.

"But, if you should fail, there are always some who could find ways to take advantage of that." The man flashed Aang a cold grin, before closing his hand tightly into a fist. Pain like he had never known spread across Aang's body, and he screamed. His body fell to the ground, knees hitting the earth hard, and through his screams he struggled to find the air to breath. A hot fire raged in the stomach of his shaking body as he felt a rage like he never felt possible take over him, his every thought and feeling. Eyes and tattoos began to glow as screams turned to roars or anger. He couldn't see, he could hardly hear beyond his own voice ...

The pain stopped, the rage subsided, and he collapsed onto the ground, panting hard. He heard a voice yell out, a sound so wonderful and beautiful he wondered briefly whether he had died during his ordeal, and he forced his heavy head to look up. He saw Katara standing over him, back turned as she faced the terrifying man sat upon the beam. He watched as she drew the water from her flask, which shone in so many colours, before using it as a whip to wrap around the man, who seemed either powerless or unwilling to respond. Ice rose from the whip, eliciting a bark of pain from the red eyed man as he was subtly crushed between the ice and frozen to the beam.

"Don't you dare touch him," Katara hissed, her voice suddenly every bit as frightened as the red eyed man's. Yet, in spite of his predicament and the fire that no doubt burned in Katara's eyes, the man started to laugh. Aang tried to raise himself from the ground, watching as Katara's shoulders slumped in obvious confusion, and then she was gone from his view with a scream.

"Katara!"

One of the hooded figures now stood where Katara had been, and Aang saw that he had hit Katara square in the side and thrown her across the paving slabs, where she had hit the wall of a building hard. Growling, Aang slammed his fists in the earth, and the hood was thrown into the rubble of the Temple. Aang climbed to his feet once more, turning towards where Katara had landed with the intent to run towards her, but froze. Katara was away from the wall, but one of the hooded figures had hold of her, grabbing the back of her hair so that her neck bent back, upon which a longer silver knife was pressed.

Just as he opened his mouth to call for her, he heard laughter. The red eyed man had broken free of Katara's ice, and had dropped down from the beam. He continued to laugh as his burning eyes stared into Aang's cool ones.

"There's nothing you can do, Avatar," he said, rows of pointed teeth flashing. "One wrong move and I will slice her neck in an instant."

Aang was panting but he heard a soft whimper as the knife was pressed against Katara's neck and a a single trail of blood began to fall. Immediately Aang dropped his staff, lowering his fists. "OK, stop! Don't hurt her!"

"As I was hoping," the red eyed man replied, almost lazily. "Keep those emotions ruling you, Avatar, for I am counting on it."

Aang glared back into his eyes, trying to steady himself. "Who are you?"

"My name is Tonrar," the name replied, raising his arms wide and bowing. "And it is quite the honor to meet face to face, _Avatar_."

"What do you want?" Aang demanded, saving no time for pleasantries.

"What do _I_ want?" Tonrar asked, looking genuinely surprised. "Why don't we focus on what _you_ want and how I can help you get there?"

Aang blinked. "What?" Tonrar grinned widely, and then clapped his hands together as if in anticipation of a good show to come.

"Come now, everyone want something, don't they? Unimaginable power, perhaps? Vast riches, sex, revenge. Not even the Avatar is immune to such desires."

"What are you talking about?" Aang asked, looking at the red eyed man with such confusion that he momentarily forget his current predicament. The smile faded from Tonrar's face slightly, and he cocked his head once more, eying Aang critically.

_"Really?"_ His eyes then drifted towards Katara, the blood from her neck now staining her clothing, and he suddenly let out a loud bark of disgust. "Really?" He repeated, looking back at Aang, his face angry. "Must I really lower myself to this?"

Aang glanced back at Katara, who shot him a look fo equal confusion.

"Well, I'll make this real easy for you, then," Tonrar continued, looking down at Aang as if he were a son the disappointed him greatly. "You give me my control _back_ , my home _back_ , and I won't kill her."

Panic rose in Aang chest, and he took a step towards Tonrar. He saw the red eyed narrow. "What are you talking about?" Aang found himself repeating. "Give you your home back? I don't know what you're asking of me."

"You are standing upon what is rightfully mine!" Tonrar snarled, eyes flashing and sharp teeth gnashing threateningly. "You think you keep the peace? The balance? The Avatar STOLE FROM ME." The last three words were spat from his lips, before he took a deep breath, seeming to calm himself. The smile returned to his lips. "I offered you a simple trade, which you are clearly too stupid to understand. I did try, yes I did try." Tonrar sighed. "We'll do this my way, then. There will be blood on your hands soon enough. But first, I am going to kill this one." Tonrar turned towards Katara, raising a hand, and Aang followed his gaze. The hooded man holding her pulled her neck back further, and Aang kicked into action. Ignoring his staff, he ran forward, arms braced, but even as he tried to pull rock from the ground he felt the pain fill his body once more, and felt the fire burn and the rage screaming inside of him. It was so quick, so torturous, and before he could find any semblance of control, the Avatar State burst through. He had no control, it was too late.

His rage was incomparable. The wind around them picked up, fire burst from his fists, and the part of Aang that he had cherished as himself parted ways with this snarling beast. He wanted to destroy the world around him, and he was going to start with the Fire Nation.

He turned his attention to what remained of the Fire Sage's Temple, just as Tonrar turned and vanished from his position before it. He raised his arms and drew them together, and the rubble and stone and beams of the once beautiful Temple crushed flat in an instant. Fire bellowed from the cracks in the ground, as it began to open up once more, the remains continuing their sickening descent into the earth. He turned and faced the rest of the city, reaching out a hand that crushed a building to his right as easy as a grape. There was no effort involved, his ability to destroy came as easy as breathing.

"AANG!" He could hear a familiar voice screaming at him, begging him to stop, but it didn't matter. She, too, would die. "No, Aang, please! Please stop! Don't let him control you!"

He looked towards where the unconscious guards were pinned to the ground, and saw that others now gathered, eyes wide. Spears and fists were raised in his direction, and he saw one of the guards step forward, a look of grim determination on his face as he spun and threw a pillar of fire towards Aang. Aang raised a hand, batting away the fire as it if were nothing, then reached forward. Earth rose from the ground and collected around the man. He felt nothing but cold, dead, anger as he gently closed his fist. The guard began to scream as his body was crushed in the rock, others threw fire and spears at him but he was able to bat them away just as he had the guards first attack.

"Aang, no!"

Suddenly ice joined the fray, one of the pieces grazing against his chin and leaving a thin cut. He relaxed his grip, and the guard fell to the ground, gasping for air, and turned to face his new attacker. She stood, fists clenched and eyes wide, pleading with him.

"Aang, please. Stop this! He's controlling you. This isn't you, Aang. This isn't you!"

He gently dropped to the floor, raising a fist that became engulfed in fire. He stalked towards her, face blank, determined to just stop her talking.

"Aang, don't." Katara raised her hands and a whip of water in defense, but her eyes remained pleading. "Please, this isn't you. You're Aang, my Aang. You saved the world, you're kind, and peaceful, and you have people who love you." Her voice grew desperate. "Please, you have to stop."

Aang continued towards her, his eyes still glowing blue and his face a terrifying grimace. He would shut her up. He would shut them all up.

"Aang ..." Katara began to sob now, her water whip dropping to the ground, and holding her hands out to him. "Please, come back to me. Sweetie, come back to me."

It was then that the true Aang began to stir. The Aang held down and smothered by the furious beast now in control of his body heard her. She was so lost, so sad, so frightened. Whatever Tonrar had done to him, nothing could be more painful that hearing her voice like that. He pushed his spirit forward, trying to swallow back that furious blackness that fought back with teeth and claws, and eventually he broke through. His tattoos stopped glowing, his eyes returned to grey, and his ragged and snarling body slumped. He briefly saw Katara ahead of him, glowing so vibrantly against the blackness surround him him, before he collapsed and was swallowed himself.


	6. Something Else

When the Avatar awoke, all he could feel, taste, and remember, was pain. A deep pain that invaded his body and soul, and that hit him like a flying bison straight to the chest. He cried out loud, sitting upright, his hands curling into fists around the sheets that surrounded him. Memories and images flashed before his eyes. The Temple on fire, the Temple remains destroyed by his hands. The look of pure terror and pain in the eyes of the guardsman as the earth crushed him, the fear in Katara's eyes, those fiery red ones of Tonrar ... he sank his head in his shaking hands as he began to sob. He had tried to kill a man, he had intended to kill Katara. He had wanted to kill everyone. His silent sobs racked his body until he simply had no more left and his eyes burned. Wiping his wrist across his face, he looked up from the white linen bed sheets to his surroundings.

He was alone, that much he knew. Katara was not there with him. The room was stone, windowless, and cold, though a fire crackled in the corner behind thick iron grates. Those thick stone walls seemed to press in around him, and he was forced to relive the pressure building in his body until the Avatar State had broken through, and suddenly he felt starved of air. He struggled to climb from his bed, but with his limbs shaking and his chest heaving, he got himself caught up in the sheets and fell hard onto the stone floor, grazing the heel of his palms against the rough surface. The sight of his own blood only pushed him further into a state of panic. He couldn't breathe in here, in this suffocating stone prison, and he needed out. He climbed back onto his feet, all but throwing himself against the door as he turned the handle. But, to his horror, it would not budge. The metal was cold in his hands, and as much as he tried to twist and push, there was no give. He raised his hand, banging his fists against the door.

"Hey!" There was no answer. "Hey, is anyone out there?"

Panting still, he felt his legs threaten to buckle beneath him, and grabbing on the metal frame and handle was all that stopped him sliding back to the ground. He tried to listen, but there seemed to be no noise coming from outside. Just as he raised a weak fist to ram at the door once more, the sound of sliding metal reached his ears, and he looked up. A small barred panel had opened up in the door, and he saw the face of Zuko's general, Mamoru, dark and severe, looking into his room.

"Hey," Aang said again, trying to pull himself up to his full height. "Why am I in here? Where's Zuko?"

Mamoru's amber eyes narrowed for a moment, before her face disappeared from sight.

"Inform he Firelord, the Avatar is awake."

But just as Aang made to reply, the small window in the door was shut once more, and he was left alone.

Though he knew, after what he had done on the capital streets, that locking him away would have been the safest option for all involved, he couldn't help but feel further tightening in his chest that Zuko, his friend, had thrown him into what had to be some sort of glorified cell. And Katara ... had she wanted this too? He legs finally gave way, and his slid onto the ground, groaning as he did so. He deserved this, he deserved to be locked away, so as not to be a danger to his friends.

His panic began to ease the longer he sat on that stone floor, looking into the crackling fire, but the deep despair settling over him only seemed to grow.

"What did I do?" He muttered, voice hoarse. "Spirits, what did I do?" He raised his hands to his face, curling himself up where he sat.

**oOoOo**

In the throne room of the palace an uncomfortable silence had fallen over the small group of companions, broken only by the soft agitated footfalls of the Firelord himself as he paced across the width of the room. His face was paler than was usual, his eyes sunken and tired, but even his morose appearance was nothing compared to the haunted expression of misery and anger that plagued the otherwise beautiful face of the only waterbender among them.

Katara sat with her arms crossed across her chest. Her eyes were red and swollen from all the crying she had done over the last twelve hours. But her tears were done falling, and now she felt little more than anger. Anger at Zuko for locking Aang up, for refusing to let her see him. Anger at this Tonrar creature who had turned her loving and kind boyfriend into a beast of fury. Her blue eyes watched Zuko's back and forth pacing, no longer bothering to conceal her contempt. Not far from her Suki sat, and though Katara knew that the warrior was watching her with alarm and concern, she found she had no time to worry about what she felt. She didn't care much what anyone felt, what anyone _thought_ had happened. All she cared about was Aang, and getting to him as soon as she could.

The doors of the throne room burst open, and Zuko halted, turning sharply on the spot. Katara swung round, her hands falling from their crossed position over her chest and gripping the cushion below her hard. Two guardsmen walked in, one of them the red haired man that she recognized as being one of Mamoru's most trusted.

"Yes?" Zuko demanded, before the guards had even finished bowing.

"My Lord Zuko," Dekho, the red haired man, began, "General Mamoru sent me to tell you that the Avatar has awoken."

Katara was on her feet before anyone could stop her, marching forward.

"Katara," Zuko called, before she heard his audible growl of frustration. "Men."

Dekho and the other guardsman were quick to act, grabbing Katara by her arms before she was able to bend the water in the jugs on the table into a whip. She snarled and pulled against them.

"Let me go!" She demanded, now turning her piercing glare back to Zuko. For a moment, the Firelord seemed to falter, but in the second that his expression slipped to one of empathy, it had already set into something more resolute.

"No, Katara." He stepped forward, standing close to her and reaching out a hand to her shoulder. "It's not safe."

"You can't stop me from seeing him, Zuko." The glare that she was fixing him with now would have ordinarily made weaker men quail.

"No, I can't," Zuko sighed. "But I can at least keep you away until I know the prisoner is safe."

"Prisoner?" Katara spat in disbelief. "He's not a prisoner! He's Aang!"

Zuko winced, looking away from her.

"Whatever Tonrar did to him I was able to bring him out of it," Katara continued. "And _you_ locked him up, you're a danger to him right now. We both know that, whatever state he's in, he is much more likely to talk to me than you."

Unsure, Zuko looked back vaguely to the throne room. The stress was evident on his face, which bore dark shadows under his one un-scarred eye, and a renewed tightness in the other.

"I am going to see Aang if I have to fight my way in."

With a heavy sigh, Zuko nodded. He raised a hand, and the guards let go on Katara's arms. She pulled herself somewhat roughly away from them, her glare still stubborn and challenging.

"Well?"

"Fine," Zuko replied, defeated. "You speak to him first. But don't take any chances! If he even looks like going into the Avatar State-"

"I'll call you," the waterbender finished for him. She could see Suki approaching the pair of them, uncertain.

"Suki, you can stay here," Zuko said before the warrior had had a chance to open her mouth.

"Yes, Zuko." Suki sat down beside Ty Lee, but her gaze was no less troubled as she watched them, hands wringing in her lap.

Katara didn't want to waste another second, and turned on her heel to leave the room. Dekho and the other guard immediately fell into place behind her, either side of their Firelord, who followed Katara with an air of utter discomfort.

When they had reached the location of Aang's room - Katara scoffed at this thought, prison was more like - General Mamoru raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was a narrow hallway, down on the lower levels of the Palace that had been used to house captured criminals of war during the Hundred Year War and no doubt long before that, and was lit only dimly by small torches in brackets along the walls. The highly shadowed figures of the General and two other guards met them, and with a raise of their hands, stopped them.

"Firelord Zuko," General Mamoru said, alarmed, as she looked between him and Katara. "I- I don't think this is wise, sir."

"Stand aside, General, let Katara through."

"I really must insist-"

"General." Zuko's voice was full of warning, and with a pursing of her lips, Mamoru stepped aside, indicating that the guards do the same.

"Very well, Firelord."

Katara walked forwards, feeling her body shaking. With anger? Nerves? Who could tell at this point. What she did know, however, was that she had to see Aang, whether he recognized her or not. She stood in front of the door, raising a hand hesitantly, unsure whether she should knock or just go in. But her question was answered for her when Mamoru reached round, rapping her knuckles sharply on the thick wooden door.

"Avatar Aang, you have a visitor. Please step away from the door."

The heavy bolt was pulled back, and the door pushed open. Aang sat against the wall opposite the door, arms around his knees, and looking up with an expression of mixed hope and fear. Katara felt her heart drop as his eyes quickly began to betray more of the latter.

"Katara?"

His voice was small, and hoarse, and she knew that he, too, had likely been crying. She stepped inside, taking in the sight of Aang crouched small and uncertain across from her. She heard the door creaking behind her, before it was shut, the sound of scraping metal as the lock was pulled back across.

"Aang ..." She hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say. "H- how are you?"

For a moment, he said nothing, but continued to look back at her with wide grey eyes. And then, to the sound of her heavily beating heart, tears welled up and began to fall down his cheeks. Abandoning all apprehension, she ran across the room, throwing herself on the floor beside him, and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Aang's arms slid under hers as his face was buried into her shoulder, his body shaking as he sobbed.

For a while they just sat there, Katara rocking him gently. She was reminded of the times she had comforted him years ago, back when he had been only a small boy and frightened of his past, his powers, and his future. And here she was again, only he wasn't a small boy any more, but a young man, by all accounts an adult in her own culture, and at once she felt anger rising in her stomach. Anger at the man who had broken Aang down by praying on his insecurities and fears that plagued so much of his youth.

"I'm sorry, Katara." Aang spoke into her shoulder. His crying had now stopped, but he seemed reluctant to pull away, clinging to her as tight has he dared. "I'm so sorry."

"Shh." She gently ran a hand down his back. "It's not you're fault, Aang, we both know that."

"Not my fault." There was a strangeness to this statement, there wasn't hope in his voice, nor denial, just a flatness that she couldn't interpret. She felt him pull away from her, and looked up to see his large grey eyes, swollen and red, incredulous under his frown.

_"I tried to kill you."_

She swallowed. Looking at him she could tell that he had no expectations for her to forgive him. And, as much as she had hoped it would be that way, she realised that, though he had not been in control of himself, he had clearly witnessed all that Tonrar had made him do in the Avatar State.

"No, it's worse than that," Aang continued, now breaking eye contact with her as he looked rather desperately around the room. "I- I wanted to kill you."

"You didn't want to do anything," Katara interrupted forcibly, her hands grabbing his shoulders. "Whatever happened back there was out of your control. It was his fault. That man. That horrible man." But Aang only shook his head, his eyes starting to glass over once more as his hands inadvertently clenched into fists.

"What if it wasn't just him?" His voice cracked. "I couldn't stop him, I couldn't fight. But if ... if I really wanted to stop him ... he wouldn't have been able to ..."

"No." Her voice was firm, and his eyes snapped back to hers. "No, Aang. I refuse to believe that there is a single part of you that would want to hurt anybody. Tonrar did this. He did that to you."

He was physically shaking beside her, and even as he seemed to wince, pulling away as if to protect her from whatever beast Tonrar had pulled from him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him back to her. After a moments hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her and she felt his body slump. With relief, exhaustion? For a long time they sat there, his body shaking less and less, and his sharp breathing starting to ease. She could almost feel the pain in his body, even without her waterbending she had grown quite accustomed to the sense of Aang's chi, and the way it moved around his body, and she felt it pooling and swirling erratically in his chest as his heart beat against her. And although she knew he found comfort in her arms, it would take far longer for him to heal from his ordeal. To have Aang try and kill? To even try to hurt another person, was to turn him into a person that he couldn't be. He had been expected to kill Ozai, but despite even his past lives telling him it was his destiny he had found another way, and to have seen what Tonrar tried to make Aang do made her sick to her very soul.

Gently, they parted, Aang breathing eased, and she looked up into his silver eyes. There was so much going on behind them, emotions swimming within view, and she watched as a lone tear broke free of his lashes and trailed down his cheek. He could trust in her words, in her willingness to be here with him after the events that had taken place, but she had to show him that she was still by his side. His lips drew her attention, and she let a small comforting smile play across her own, before leaning in and locking her hand behind his neck. She tried to show him in that one kiss just how deeply she cared for him, believed in him, and as his hands gently burrowed into her hair, she felt his gratitude returned in kind.

They were interrupted by a sharp rapping on the door, and with a heavy sigh she rested her forehead against his.

"Are you ready for this?"

"No," Aang replied honestly. "But I don't think I ever could be."

There was another knock, and this time an agitated voice called out Katara's name.

"It's fine," Katara called in return, getting to her feet and holding out a hand to help Aang do the same. "Come in."

Aang was brushing the dust from his leggings as the bolt was turned and the door opened. In the doorway stood Zuko, his expression apprehensive, but Katara knew that he saw the redness around Aang's eyes, the semi-defeated way that young Avatar now stood, and the Firelord's shoulders slumped.

"Aang, we need to talk." Aang nodded. "Maybe here isn't the best place," Zuko continued. "We'll go back to the throne room."

"Zuko, are you s-"

"I'm sure." He interrupted Aang, firmly but kindly. "The Aang I know would never hurt another person, and I have to believe that right now you are the Aang that I know."

Katara took Aang's hand, squeezing gently. He nodded his head once, and Zuko lead the pair of them from the room.

**oOoOo**

Aang could never remember experiencing such mixed feelings of shame, fear, and hurt as he did as he walked through the corridors that led to the Firelord's throne room. Anyone that wasn't security had been ordered to leave the way clear, but he could still see the expressions on the faces of the guards they passed. Whilst some were simply curious, he couldn't pretend that he didn't see the way their hands tightened over spear and fist, the way eyes narrowed or widened, that obvious distrust and even hatred scratched into the features of some. If they hadn't seen what he had done, then they had most definitely heard about it, and the whispers that followed him left him unsure as to which was worse.

By the time they had finally entered the throne room, the doors thrown open by the guardsman Dekho and his companion, Aang found himself thinking about the possibility that Zuko may not want him to remain in the Fire Nation at all. With situations being as they were, Aang knew that another scandal was the very last thing that the Firelord needed, and that thought was only forced deeper when he caught sight of the expression on Suki's face as she stood to welcome them. Though usually so understanding and easy going, her stoic features made it clear that his encounter with Tonrar had changed things for her.

"Please, take a seat, Aang. Mamoru, thank you but you can leave us."

The General threw another distrustful glare in Aang's direction.

"I really do not think that is a good idea, Firelord Zuko," he said at once. "You should not be left defenseless in the Avatar's presence."

"I am not altogether defenseless, General," Zuko replied, quirking an eyebrow. "And I also have Suki." He indicated to the Kyoshi warrior stood silently in her face paint and armor. "Ty Lee, could you also leave us."

An unmistakable pout on her lips, Ty Lee flounced past. Aang himself remained near the doorway, avoiding her eye as the end of her long braided ponytail flicked past him, and the large door shut, the noise reverberating through the long hallway.

"Aang."

He looked up slowly, his eyes meeting Zuko, who had a hand held out and gesturing to one of the cushions at the table. Katara's hand briefly clasped around his wrist, before she walked forward and took her seat. With a deep breath, Aang followed.

The silence, and the discomfort in the hall was palpable. Suki, as was her usual when in uniform, did not sit, but her eyes never left Aang, and her expression was unreadable to him. Zuko sat across from Aang and Katara, brow furrowed as he looked at the Avatar over his steepled hands. Aang knew he was expected to explain, but he found that his voice and his fight had left him, and a low ringing started to fill his ears. He knew what he needed to do, and there really was no need to discuss it.

"Aang," Zuko said at length. His voice was soft, but his inner turmoil was obvious. Zuko had made many a hard decision since his rule of the Fire Nation had begun, locking up Azula, twice, banishing Mai, jailing her father ... would banishing the Avatar be just another of those decisions? "I want you to know that I believe everything that Katara has told me about what happened."

Aang wasn't able to disguise his surprise as he looked up at his friend. Clearly Katara was taken back too, as she made to speak, before quickly biting her tongue.

"The rest of my people don't really know you like I do," Zuko continued. "They don't know how much you wanted to find a way to stop my father without killing him, and I cannot believe that you would ever knowingly try and hurt anybody."

It was pretty much what Katara had said. To his further surprise, however, Aang found that Zuko's haste to forgive Aang only made him feel more disgusted with himself.

"I'm leaving the Fire Nation, Zuko."

Zuko froze. "What? Why? Aang, I just said that I know it wasn't you, people are confused, understandably, but once I speak to them-"

"Zuko, we both know it isn't going to be as easy as that." Aang sighed, reaching a hand up and rubbing his face. "Back outside the Temple, when that man did whatever he did to me, I had no control. None. If Katara hadn't got involved I would have killed that man. I _wanted_ to kill that man, do you understand?" He knew his voice had broke, that he had started to shake again, but he made no effort to conceal his panic, there was little point. "I don't know what Tonrar did to me, I don't know who he is or what he wants, but I know that he's not done with me. And until he is I cannot be around your people, I can't be around you, I can't be around anyone."

"If you would only give me a little time," Zuko interjected. "I already have a team of people trying to find out as much about that Tonrar as possible, if you stay in the Palace we can keep him out, keep you safe-"

"You'd want me to stay here?" Aang cried in disbelief. "What if that doesn't work? What if Tonrar comes back and the next person I try to kill is ..." he tapered off, unable to finish the sentence. Zuko's hands clenched on the table and he looked miserably over at Suki, who's expression had mercifully softened.

"We understand why you're worried, Aang," she said at long last with a sigh. "But don't you think that it's safer for you to be here where we can, well, protect you."

Aang was taken back by this, and looked across at Katara to see her nodding in agreement.

"Protect _me_?" He laughed humorlessly. "I am not the one who need protecting in this scenario."

"Yes, you are," Katara insisted, reaching out and taking his hand. "Tonrar is after you, and we should be doing everything within our powers to stop that from happening-"

"You think you can stop him?" Unbidden he felt an anger growing in his stomach. "He was able to control my Avatar State and you think you can stop him?"

"Well why not?" Katara demanded. "It doesn't look like he can even bend, and I was able to get him with my waterbending easy enough."

"Exactly," Suki said simply.

"And if you left," Zuko added, encouraged by their support, "it's only going to make the public more suspicious of you. If you gave us time to try and work out what Tonrar wants before making a move-"

"This is not a discussion!" Aang's patience snapped dramatically, his fist slamming against the table, causing the stone to crack and several glasses of water to smash. But his rage turned quickly to panic, and he withdraw his hands, clasping them together against his stomach. "Zuko, I need to leave. Please."

A silence fell over the room, and Aang tried hard not to look at any of them, instead keeping his gaze down at his hands, which were visibly shaking. He'd not lost his temper like that in front of them before, it had happened so quickly, and even as he tried to calm his breathing he could feel that angry beast stirred by Tonrar's control in his gut.

"Where will you go?" He didn't look up as Suki spoke.

"Until I figure out who Tornar is and what he wants, I guess just somewhere away from people for a while." He shrugged. "I'll work something out."

"I'm coming with you," Katara said firmly, predictably. Aang's stomach twisted, if it were possible, even more at her words. He knew this was coming, and he knew how to deal with the matter. He only hoped that she would forgive him for it later.

"Fine," he replied softly, only dimly registering the surprise on their faces at his lack of argument. "I need to ready, Appa, and then we can go."

"I'll get us some supplies." Katara flashed a comforting smile in his direction, whilst Suki and Zuko looked sadly across at one another.

"I hope you're right about this, Aang," the Firelord said, now getting to his feet. Aang said nothing, merely nodding his head once. The Firelord then walked over to the large double doors of the throne room. "Lieutenant Dekho."

After a moment, the door opened, and the red haired guard stepped in, raising a hand to his head.

"Yes, Firelord Zuko?"

"I want you to accompany the Avatar to the stables."

"Zuko-" Aang began, throwing him a reproachful look, but Zuko just raised his hand in interruption.

"I can't let you walk about on your own, Aang," he said firmly. "I'm sorry."

With a heavy sigh, Aang got to his feet. He had hoped he could make his departure quick, but Dekho was an annoying new hindrance to his plan. To make matters worse, he felt Katara's hand slip into his, and he looked round to see the confident smile she was giving him.

"We can get through this ok?" She said, low enough that only he could hear her. He couldn't manage a smile in response, as she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. He squeezed her hand briefly.

"See you in a bit." It physically hurt in his chest as he let go of her hand, turning his back and walking towards the lieutenant. Dekho bowed deeply, and the pair left the throne room, the remaining occupants looking on with heavy hearts.

Aang and Dekho walked in silence towards the stables, Aang keeping his gaze fixed ahead and trying to ignore the looks on the faces of though they passed. Dekho walked slightly behind him, more than capable of keeping up with Aang's quick pace, and looking for all the world like he wanted to speak. But it wasn't until they had arrived at the grand location of the Palace's personal stables that Dekho said anything.

"Odd couple of days, eh?"

His voice was cheery, and Aang could only nod stiffly in response, as he immediately set about saddling Appa. The bison was uneasy, he could sense that Aang was on edge, and he let out a low growl. Momo was with him, and he began flying about, chittering in an erratic fashion.

"I mean, I suppose we're pretty used to odd stuff happening in the capital," Dekho continued, leaning against his spear as he watched. "Wanna hand with that?"

"No, thank you." Aang grabbed what was left of Appa's hay, stuffing it roughly into a saddle bag hanging from the side of Appa's stall.

"Yeh, with the kid snatching a few months ago, Princess Azula coming back ... we're used to a bit of drama. But this is something else, right?"

Aang glanced over at him, and saw the unabashed interest and curiosity with which Dekho was watching him. But Aang also noticed how, leaning against his spear like that, the man had dropped almost all his guard, which would be a huge mistake on his part.

"Yeh, this is something else," Aang agreed, securing the saddle bag. "But it won't be happening in the capital any more."

"Well, you could be right there," Dekho replied. Aang stopped, turning to face the man full on, and sighed.

"Sorry," he said, before slamming his right heel into the ground and raising his left fist. He registered Dekho's surprise as the earth below him rose and shut tightly around his feet.

"Hey!"

"Momo stay here," Aang said firmly, as he jumped up onto Appa's saddle. The lemur chittered angrily, landing on his shoulder. "No, Momo, stay here with Katara." The wide eyes glared at him. "With _Katara,_ Momo. Stay here." He grabbed the lemur and dropped him over the side of Appa, and Momo screeched angrily, flapping and landing on the ground, looking up at Aang reproachfully.

"Hey!" Dekho continued to yell. "Guards! The Avatar is getting away!"

Aang had no time to apologise to Momo, he couldn't risk Katara catching up with him. He pulled on Appa's reins, angling him to the right.

"Yip yip!"

With a mournful moan, Appa took to the air. Aang could feel his eyes already starting to burn with tears, but he kept his gaze forward, refusing to take even one last look back at the palace. Just in case she was there. There was no way he could see the hurt on her face.

**oOoOo**

At the sound of the lieutenants yells, alarms were set up, filling the Palace halls with a barrage of noise. Katara, who was already making her way to the stables after quickly grabbing some spare clothes and food, froze.

"The Avatar is getting away!"

"No," Katara breathed, panic setting in, and she dropped the supplies on the ground, running full pelt through the halls towards the stables. She pushed past guards, pulling water from her flask and bending a pathway of ice ahead of her so that she could zip through. She almost stumbled into the courtyard of the stables, panting and praying that Aang hadn't done what she knew he had. She took in the sight of the lieutenant stuck with earth bended around his legs, and Momo curled up where Appa had stood only that morning when she had come to check on him, and knew.

"Aang ..." She looked up into the sky, but the Avatar and his bison was long since gone from her view. She heard the courtyard filling behind her, some rushing forward to try and chip Dekho out from where he stood, but for her time had stopped. She should have known that Aang would never agree to her coming so readily, she should have known then that something wasn't right. _Typical airbender ... avoid and evade ..._ should should have known.

"Katara?" A familiar voice broke her reverie, and she swung round. There, dressed in a sleeveless blue tunic, and carrying a pack over his shoulder, stood one of the only other faces that she needed to see as much as Aang's. Suki stood beside him, looking sadly up into the sky.

"Sokka," Katara managed, before her shoulder slumped. In an instance, Sokka was at her side, arms around her and holding her up.

"Katara, tell me what happened."


	7. Podu

t was a grey and wet day that found the Avatar and his bison hunched under the shelter of a make shift stone tent, three days after the events in the Fire Nation's capital. Ominous clouds passed slowly overhead, a steady drizzle leaving the ground dark and sodden, whilst a cold breeze brushed through the surrounding vegetation. Ever since Aang had left the capital it had not only been the elements that seemingly rose against him. He had also faced an ever increasing battle against his own guilt, his fear, and a very unwilling sky bison.

Appa, despite being coaxed onward by his master, had been traveling slowly and grudgingly, grunting and roaring his displeasure the more Aang tried to push him forward. It was as though Appa knew that Aang was doing something stupid, something that maybe his friends may find difficult, even impossible to forgive him for. Aang knew that Appa cared for Katara almost every bit as much as he himself did, and he knew that a good part of the bison's unease was concern that she wasn't with them, and that he had left her behind in the Fire Nation. Aang supposed that he was also likely put out with how they had left Momo behind as well, and the less than ceremonious way in which Aang had pushed the lemur aside. Whatever the full reasons, today had been the day that Appa had decided enough was enough, and in spite of Aang's protests, the bison had touched down, turning his back on Aang and dropping resolutely to the ground. When the rain started, Aang had been forced to pull up the earth tent to keep the bison dry, before eventually settling down next to his friend.

They had been traveling for two days, and it had been just as long since Aang had eaten. Though he had been able to grab some food for Appa, there hadn't been a chance for him to get anything for himself, and though a number of villages had passed beneath them in their travels, Aang had neither the money nor the comfort to land and get some supplies. And despite having not seen any sign of Tonrar or his hooded companions, that unsettled sensation in his stomach remained, as though he was always on the edge of an explosion. This feeling was only made worse by the grumbling of hunger. It was fortunate that he had been able to find plenty of water, but if he didn't eat soon he knew he wouldn't be going much further, even if he could persuade Appa to move.

It was this thought that pursuaded Aang to get to his feet, and step out into the miserable scenery beyond the tent.

"I'm gonna go find some food, buddy," Aang said back to the bison, but Appa kept his back turned and refused to acknowledge him. With a heavy sigh, Aang started off across the muddy bank of the river they had landed beside, too exhausted to even try and bend a bubble over his head to stop the rain pounding down on him.

Though he tried hard not to, it had been impossible to stop his thoughts drifting back to Katara. He knew she would be hurt, angry, and part of him felt that maybe he would lose her through all of this. She was brilliant, beautiful, perfect, and he had lied to her. She had stood by his side time and time again and he had left her behind. If he could ever work out what Tonrar wanted, if he could stop him maybe, was there ever a chance that she would forgive him? Understand why he had had to run? She was reasonable, understanding, she saw the good in people that so few others could see, but even Katara had her limits. He groaned, wrapping his arms around himself to try and stave off the cold. With his misery, and that anger in his chest, it seemed as though he had completely forgotten how to keep warm.

After almost twenty minutes of walking, he finally came across some rather dubiously edible looking berries. After giving one a tentative squeeze and sniff, he began to fill his pockets with as many as he could carry, and eating those he couldn't. They had a somewhat bitter taste to them, as though they were not yet ripe, but his stomach lurched in appreciation as he tried his best to ignore the taste. He was briefly reminded of the time that he, Katara, and Sokka had been forced to eat nuts and berries for a solid three weeks when on the run from the Fire Nation, but he pushed the memory aside, not wanting to think about Katara any more than he already had that day. Being out here, eating under-ripe fruit and soaked through to his skin, was about as much misery as he could handle. Casting another look at the surrounding area for anything more edible, Aang turned on his heel, and began the hike back to where he had left Appa. It was to his complete horror, however, to trudge upwards from the bank and see the stone tent he had erected empty.

"Appa?" He ran forwards, looking into the tent despite the fact that the ten tonne bison would have had a hard time hiding inside of it. "Appa?" He jumped onto the top of the tent, turning in circles and squinting through the rain. "Appa!"

Panic rose in his chest, as endless possibilities started to race through his mind. Had Appa been stolen? Had the bison gone looking for him and gotten lost? Had Appa finally had enough and gone back to the Fire Nation, leaving Aang behind?

"Appa!" He yelled as loud as he could and wished, not for the first time, that he had his glider with him. But that, just like Katara, was a long way away from him now. "Come on, Appa, don't do this to me ..." He was just about to run back to the bank and follow the river in the direction had wandered looking for food, when he heard the mercifully familiar sound of Appa roaring in the distance. Instantly he jumped from the stone tent, racing in the direction of his friends cries.

"Appa!"

The bison called out once more, and Aang found himself scaling a decidedly steep hill. When he reached the top, he found a grassy flat, upon which Appa stood, looking placidly back at him.

"Appa!" Aang breathed with relief. "Buddy, what are you doing up he-"

He froze, as a figure stepped out from behind the bison, holding in his hands a basket of liche nuts.

"Oh, so you're the one who owns this marvelous beast?"

Aang blinked. The man was short, elderly, a long grey beard reached almost to the ground and a large wicker hat sat across his otherwise bald head. His face was friendly, a wide smile and crinkled eyes looking over at him.

"Y-yes," Aang replied. "Uh, thanks for finding him."

"Oh no worries, in fact I think he probably found me!"

Appa let out a merry roar, before nuzzling the basket of liche nuts. The elderly stranger chuckled. "Looks like this fellow is hungry, and you look like you could do with a meal yourself. Why don't you come inside, out of this rain?"

Aang hesitated, looking around him as if expecting an ambush of robed figures to leap out of the long grass.

"I don't bite, I promise!" The old man chuckled, and after an encouraging grunt from Appa, Aang nodded. The stranger raised a hand, gesturing that he follow, and with another doubtful glance around, Aang did.

The old man's house was a smallish wooden hut, with a large awing to the side sheltering a selection of baskets and ceramic pots from the rain.

"I'm afraid my home isn't big enough for you!" The man said to Appa, patting him on the nose. "But I hope you will be comfortable there." He pointed to the awing, and Appa happily trotted off, knocking over a few of the wicker baskets as he went before settling himself down. Leaving the basket of liche nuts beside him, the old man then looked back at Aang.

"Come in, come in." Now ignored once more by Appa, who had already knocked over the basket and devouring the nuts with the help of his large tongue, Aang followed the man into his house.

It seemed even smaller on the inside, with various herbs and bowls of mixed coloured pastes hanging from the ceiling, and Aang was forced to duck so as not to bump his head on anything. In one corner a mattress lay upon the ground, in the other was a small stone oven and roughly hewn wooden table. In the center of the room lay a low table, upon which several more bowls of paste and, to Aang's discomfort, what looked very much like a human skull.

"Oh, don't mind Podu there," the man piped up, seeing Aang's unease. "He's been in his present state for as long as I've been around!"

Not the least bit comforted, Aang looked around the room once more, before noticing that the stranger was gesturing for him sit at one of the mats beside the small central table and 'Podu'. Unsure as to whether this may be the most irresponsible thing he'd done to date, Aang took his cue and sat, crossing his legs beneath him.

"I've got some stew just made up," the man said brightly, turning his back to Aang as he pulled two large bricks, with considerable effort, from the front of the oven, wrapping his hands in thick linen before reaching in and pulling out a black pot. "Been keeping it warm, what with the weather being so drab as this!" He grabbed a couple of small bowls that hung above him. "It's only root vegetables, I'm afraid. Don't get no meat around here, don't have the stomach to kill my own, you understand?"

"No, that's fine," Aang replied. "I don't eat meat."

"Oh really?" The man flashed him a wide grin, "well you don't get many Earth Kingdom sorts saying that!"

"I guess not." He watched as the stranger ladled some of the steaming stew into the bowls, before he brought them over the table, placing one on front of him. "Thank you, uh-"

"People round here call me Tamas," the man replied. "So, I guess you can call me Tamas!"

"Thank you, Tamas," Aang said, gratefully, as he took a sip of the warm, comforting stew. "You really didn't have to help us."

"Nonsense," Tamas said, waving a hand. "It's not every day that the Avatar turns up on my doorstep now, is it?"

Aang paused, looking up sharply from his stew.

"Oh, I hope you weren't trying to keep your identity secret!" Tamas cocked his head slightly to the side. "I mean, with the tattoo and all, it's hard to mistake you for anyone else."

"Right," Aang muttered, and in spite of himself, he found himself glancing at 'Podu' on the table, his appetite suddenly waning.

"So, what brings the Avatar all the way out here on such a rainy evening?" Tamas asked, digging into his own stew.

"Nothing here, specifically," Aang answered carefully. "I just happened to end up here."

"Ah, so you _are_ on the run, then?"

"What?" Aang sat up straight, dropping his spoon into his bowl, splattering stew onto his lap.

"Well, that's what they're saying," Tamas continued, indifferent to Aang's alarm. "There's been word on the wind of you trying to hurt some folk, that you're in cahoots with a deranged spirit by the name of Tonrar."

Aang blinked, mouth agape. Had news really traveled that fast? And was that really what people thought had gone on?

"I'm not sure whether I believe the rumours or not. But, I suppose, if you are really on the run, and you are in league with a spirit such as Tonrar, I might be finding myself in a spot of trouble, mightn't I?"

"Wait ..." Aang leaned forward. "You know about Tonrar?"

"Of course I do!" Tamas looked surprised now. "But then, I suppose some of the old tales have got lost in the telling these days."

"Old tales?" Aang pushed his stew to the side now, his appetite well and truly gone in favour of his curiosity. "Please, what do you know about Tonrar?"

Tamas lowered his spoon, eyes narrowing as he looked over at Aang with something a little more than mild mannered curiosity, before he, too, leaned forward.

"Well, he's a spirit, but you must know that at least?"

Aang shook his head. Tamas raised an eyebrow.

"Well, maybe the rumours aren't so true after all!" He leaned back, crossing his hands over his lap. "Well, when I was a kid, my mam used to tell me stories about an ancient spirit who, every twenty years, would cross over from the spirit world into the mortal one, looking for unwary souls to steal and take back with him to be slaves in his dark kingdom. He would take a mix of people, young and old, but they would always, without fail, be benders."

Aang immediately thought of the hooded firebender that had almost taken apart the village of Mahi Kah all of his own accord.

"Sometimes he would take only one person, other times as many as twenty, but he would always take someone."

"But, if he takes people every twenty years, why have I not heard of him? Why hasn't everyone?" Tamas smiled sadly.

"My mam was one of the few who still believed the tales of Tonrar," he said with a sigh. "Her brother, my uncle, had disappeared without a trace twelve years before I was born, and my mam always swore that she had seen a cloaked man disappearing from their house that day, a man with bright red eyes and a smile so wide she was fearful that it would swallow her whole!" Aang shivered, remembering the face well. "When I turned eight, I was kept inside from an entire year. My mam pulled me from my school, told everyone that I was deathly ill. But really she was just so scared that Tonrar would come back to take me as well."

"But ... you never saw him?"

"Of course not," Tamas suddenly chuckled. "I'm not sure I believe the tales myself. Because in the past one hundred years, there has not been a single sighting, no unusual disappearances that couldn't be accounted for by the War. No cloaked spirit, no Tonrar. Well," he looked sideways at Aang, "not until now, anyway."

"So, none of that could be true?" Aang pressed, his hands gripping the table so tightly now that his knuckles had turned white. "Tonrar might not be here to take people?"

"I think you can probably answer that question better than I ever could, Avatar Aang," Tamas replied, frowning slightly. "You are, as they say, the bridge between our two worlds, are you not?"

Aang looked back into the old man's bloodshot eyes. Certainly, that _had_ been his roll. But he had found all attempts to cross over into the spirit world since Tonrar's attack fruitless. Each time he had tried, he had hit a block, like a stone wall in his minds eye, and the rage prowling in his stomach had threatened to burst forth, howling and blood thirsty.

"Well, whatever the truth is," Tamas continued. "I'm sure you'll get to the bottom of it very soon."

Aang frowned down at his now cold stew, not sure whether he had Tamas' confidence on the matter.

"You're welcome to stay here for the night." The old man got to his feet, reaching forward and taking Aang's discarded bowl. "I sleep through the day, I find the world is much more bearable and beautiful under the light of the moon, don't you?"

With a lurch to the stomach, he was reminded of Katara yet again. "Yeh, I guess it is."

"Well, feel free to take my bed, or you can sleep on the mats, whatever suits you." Aang looked up, to see Tamas pulling a heavy cloak from a hook by the door and wrapping it around himself.

"I don't know how to thank you-" Aang began, but Tamas just waved his hand again.

"Nonsense, son, you don't need to thank me for anything, we've all go to do our bit to help the Avatar, after all."

Aang flashed a half smile, and bowed his head in thanks. Tamas turned to open the door, and sure enough clear moonlight seemed to shine on them, casting a silver light across the room. But, as Aang watch Tamas go, he saw something that sent his heart to this throat and his stomach to his feet, his face paling almost as white as the moon.

"Wait!"

Tamas stopped, looking round. But Aang saw nothing, just a shining bald head.

"Uh, sorry," he said quickly. "I- I thought I saw something."

"No bother, son!" Tamas said with a broad grin. "You take care now, it has been nice talking to you, Avatar Aang."

"You too." Tamas left, shutting the door behind him, leaving Aang in the crowded little hut alone, heart and mind racing, for he had been so sure that he had seen, running down the center of the old man's scalp and neck, a long blue tattoo ...

_A cool breeze brushed past him, a tickle of irritation across his forehead and he scowled. He was standing on a vast rocky plane, the stone earth a deep purpled grey, from which series' of jagged rocks burst from the ground like rows of teeth surrounding him._

_He couldn't remember getting here, what circumstances had brought him to this strange place, and he looked across the plane, brushing his hand across his forehead, only dimly registering the hair that rubbed across his wrist. Besides the abused rock forms, the plane itself seemed devoid of any features, and across the entire horizon was featureless miles of more miserable stone. For as far as he could see, he was alone here. He looked up into the sky, and was surprised to see what appeared to be a river of water and ice drifting eerily above him, somehow held suspended. Tentatively, he tried to summon fire to his finger tips, but no familiar warmth lit him, affirming his suspicions that he had found himself in the spirit world at last._

_"Or, it could just be a dream."_

_His heart leaped to his mouth and he swung round to the direction the voice had from. He had to fight back a yell of fear, taking a hurried step back in the process. Before him a man stood, dressed in robes of the deepest black imaginable, standing far taller than Aang did. He face was the only area of skin that Aang could see, his features were almost beautiful; large almond shaped eyes, chiselled cheekbones, and soft appearing lips that smiled paternally at him. His head was bare of hair though, on his forehead, were two curled red tattoos._

_"Tonrar," Aang gasped, involuntarily taking another step back._

_"Hello Avatar," Tonrar replied, his smile broadening. "I was hoping to see you again. So soon after our last encounter."_

_"How am I here?" Aang demanded, feeling fear and that unwanted anger rise in his gut. "What do you want from me?"_

_"Where do you think here is?" Tonrar asked, cocking his head to one side. "Do you think this is the spirit world?"_

_"Yes ..." Aang's voice shook slightly, but he clenched his fists in defiance._

_"Or, as I said, it could just be a dream." Tonrar raised his head, breathing in deeply, his nostrils flaring. "Or, maybe, this cold landscape is what remains of your soul. So lonely, isn't it?"_

_Aang watched as Tonrar began to walk, heading towards one of the jagged rock teeth that rose from the ground. Aang felt an inexplicable sensation of panic and nausea as he watched Tonrar's slender brown hand raise to touch the rock, but the spirit paused, grinning to himself, before pulling his hand away and simply admiring it. "This place seems so ... old. So fragile. Just look at all of the fractures ..." He tutted and shook his head, turning back to Aang with the unmistakable expression of sympathy across his features. "I can't imagine it has long ..." he whispered now. "Why, imagine the pain it must feel."_

_"What do you want, Tonrar?" Aang demanded once more. "Have you come back to kidnap more people? Because I can't let you do that."_

_Tonrar's brown rose with surprise. "I want many things, Avatar," he replied, his voice now deepening. "I want what is rightfully mine restored to me. I no longer want my people, my family, kept from their home. But, as petty as it may seem, right now what I want most of all? I want to see you fall. I am just another spirit who wishes to see the Avatar finally extinguished for good."_

_"Why?" Aang breathed. "Why would a spirit want for that?"_

_Tonrar raised his fine eyebrows. "This surprises you? You think we spirits all fawn and bow to you? You think you're above us?"_

_"No ..." Aang shook his head, though he found himself reminded painfully of his battle with the Old Iron General back on the old lands of his people. "I'm not above anybody. I'm here to bring balance and peace to the world. I never took anything from you!"_

_Tonrar lowered his head, looking darkly into Aang's eyes, and he felt his fear only increase._

_"Tell me why," Aang persisted, forcing himself to take a step forward. "Tell me what I can do. Tell me why a spirit would want for the world to fall into chaos!"_

_"Chaos?" Tonrar all but spat the words, eyes flashing. "No, Avatar, I do not want chaos. It is you who have brought chaos!"_

_"I don't understand!" Aang yelled desperately. "Please, I don't understand. Why are you doing all this?"_

_But, even as he ran forward, Tonrar vanished. He spun on the spot, looking around him wildly. "Tonrar!" He felt the world around him begin to dissolve, his body being propelled forward. "Tonrar!"_

He woke, gasping and sweating, sitting bolt upright and banging his head on something cold and heavy. Cursing, he reached up a hand and grabbed his forehead, looking around him. He was still in the house of the mysterious old man, sleeping upon the mats he had pulled to the side of the room. He sat upright for a moment, his heart hammering in his chest as he tried to calm his breathing and make sense of what had happened.

Had it been a dream? Had Tonrar somehow pulled him into the spirit world? Or could it have been both? He groaned to himself, realising that his head was beginning to thump. He looked up through squinted eyes, glaring darkly at the pot that hang just above him. With a heavy sigh, he climbed to his feet before noticing a small parcel wrapped in cloth on the table beside 'Podu', with a small piece or parchment marked _A.A._ lying on top. Avoiding more of the low hanging pots and baskets, he leaned down, pulling aside the top covering of the parcel to see bread and fruit inside. Tamas had been back, but for whatever reason he had left again. Regardless, Aang was grateful, for having somewhere warm to rest his head that night and for the food. Picking up the parcel, he made for the door.

The dreary weather of the day before had passed over, and he raised his hand as the low morning sun met his eyes. Birds were twittering in the trees surrounding the hut, a lone rabbit deer grazing at the edge of the clearing. In this bright and optimistic surrounding, he found himself briefly wondering whether the dream had been as real as the line of blue he thought he had seen running down Tamas' neck ...

_"Mraaaar."_

A low grunting brought him back to attention, and he looked round to see Appa standing, head cocked to one side, watching him.

"Morning, buddy." He reached out and pat the bison on the nose, and was relieved to see Appa close his eyes in enjoyment. "Decided not to hate me today, huh?" Appa just grunted again. "Well, just as well, we've still got a long way to go. I think you've worked out where we're going now?" Appa opened a single eye, snorting with exasperation.

After securing the parcel of food to the saddle, and feeding Appa what remained of the liche nuts, Aang jumped back onto Appa's head, now turning his attention south. "Ok then, buddy. Yip yip."

The journey was uneventful, Appa was still as slow and unwilling as he had been previously, but neither of their stomachs grumbled and Aang had a clearer goal in mind. Regardless of that fortunate change in circumstances, he still found it difficult to focus throughout the remainder of the day, thinking only of the dream he had had that night. Though he wanted dearly to think that it had all been just a dream, he knew that what had occurred had been much more than that. He had really spoken to Tonrar? Tonrar had either entered his mind or pulled him into the spirit world, and truthfully he wasn't sure what terrified him more. But no, he _had_ spoken to Tonrar last night. He wished the spirit had just spoken plainly, told him what he wanted from him, what he could do to fix the anger this spirit felt. All the spirits he had come across before he had been able to speak to, to at least try and come to some understanding, but this one was different. He was alarmed at just how human Tonrar seemed ... the red eyes and wide mouth were unnerving, but he was no Koh. And Tonrar insisted that he had stolen something from him. Did he mean him personally? Or him as in the Avatar? Had a past life done something to Tonrar? The only way he could find that out was to speak to his past lives, to enter the spirit world by his own means, but even as he tried, pressing his fists together and settling into meditation on Appa's head, that mental block remained. For whatever reason, the spirit world was shut to him.

That evening, he landed Appa in a small clearing among a small brush of trees, the pair sharing some of the fruit that Tamas had packed for them. Appa did not seem as unhappy with Aang as he had the previous nights, and even let Aang rest against him without moving away, and it was progress enough for Aang to feel contended with. He rest his hands across his stomach, looking up into the clear night sky above. He was nervous to sleep, unsure as to whether Tonrar would visit him again, and for a good while sleep remained illusive. But, the stars twinkled above, his lids began to droop.

The next two days continued in the same fashion. Appa begrudgingly flying them south, though realising where they were heading, no longer threatening to stop or turn back, Aang meditating and trying to make sense of everything that the red eyed spirit had told him so far. He was pleased not to come across another person, not knowing how likely it was that Tonrar or the robed figures would track him down and unleash his anger upon the next unwitting victim, but there was no denying some of the loneliness he felt. And his desire, more than anything, to see Katara again. Though he wasn't so full of pessimism as to think that he never would again, he still feared that it would be a very long time, and the circumstances in which it would happen.

On the third day, the relative peace that Aang had Appa had accepted, was brought to a swift and sudden end. They were already on the very last of their rations, but with only another days worth of flying ahead of him, Aang put it from his mind. They would find food where they were headed, he was sure, and if not then they would just have to travel a little farther. He wrapped the last roll and two pieces of fruit back into the parcel, before jumping onto Appa's back. With the customary 'yip yip' they were up in the air, and starting their last leg south to the Southern Air Temple.

In only a few miles they would leave the last of the Earth Kingdom territory behind them, and crossing the wide expanse of sea that still stood between them and the Temple. At this point, much of the greenery had given way to wider expanses of large rocky planes, dotted here and there with low growing trees and sparse bushes, and as his thoughts drifted yet again to Tonrar and what everything meant, he found himself looking down over Appa's side, watching his dark shadow just to their right sliding snake-like across the ground below. Slowly, his hand dropped over the side, and resting his cheek on the crook of his left arm, he focused on the feel of the wind brushing past. His thoughts were too busy, too loud, but watching that dark shadow rising and falling with the rocks brought a simple peace to his buzzing mind.

At first, though he recognized the sensation of his skin prickling, he was unable to place it, the subtle frown across his brow the only indication that he had felt it at all. But then, the shape of the shadow below seemed to stretch and the needles gently poking at his skin pushed deeper.

With a gasp, he sat up, hands gripping Appa's fur, and head turning sharply this way and that. He was aware now, aware fully of what he was feeling and what it had meant. Wishing, again, that he had had the sense to grab his staff before leaving, he leaned down closer to Appa.

"Eyes open, buddy," he muttered, and in response Appa let out a low grunt.

For a further ten minutes they flew, Aang still seeing no sign of Tonrar or his robed lackeys, but feeling no drop in the prickling against his skin and the growing dull ache in his head. They were near, perhaps following just far enough behind as to not be seen, perhaps even ahead of them and waiting to launch an attack.

"We're just going to have to keep going, Appa." He wasn't sure is Appa could feel what he was, but the sky bison's unease was clear to him, hackles were raised and his pace had quickened, ready to either attack or flee on Aang's request. Aang's teeth were grit now, looking over his shoulder trying to pick out any sign of movement. The rocky plane below them grew barer and barer of vegetation, and ahead Aang knew the cliff-face signalling the end of the Earth Nation territory was not far. Then, his heart beat spiking hard, he noticed something dark in the sky, something far away, but something that was most definitely heading in his direction. Just as he stood on Appa's back to try and get a better view, Appa roared, and stopped in mid air, almost throwing Aang straight over his head. Gripping the long white fur for support, Aang pulled the hood of his robe roughly away from his head.

"Appa, what-?" But what had spooked Appa was immediately clear. Ahead of them, lined up just meters from the edge of the cliff, were four tall, black, hooded figures. For a moment, he considered running. Taking Appa's reins and pulling him back the way they had came, but the anger in his stomach, so far nothing but a hindrance to him, threw him into action and he stood tall.

"What do you want?" He yelled, his voice clear across the flat landscape. The figures remained as silent as ever. "Where is Tonrar?"

_"You must return."_

The voice of a hundred beings resonated across his head, so loud that he held his hand up to his ears, grimacing.

_"You will return."_

Appa let out a loud roar of anger and fear, the voice frightening him so badly that he reared, throwing Aang onto the hard rocky ground. He had time to pull his face from the dust, to see the robed figures raise their arms as one, before an assault of pain was pummeled into him. He screamed, curling up tightly on the ground as if trying to protect himself from this invisible onslaught.

_"Go back."_

"NO!" He wasn't sure how he managed it, how he had been able to make a coherent word from his babbles of pain, but as he did the pain lessened, and gasping he was able to look up once more.

_"You must learn!"_

Hands clenched into fists in unison, and the robed figures advanced. He hadn't the time to get to his feet, and simply slammed his hands into the ground, pulling up a wall of earth between himself and the beings in Tonrar's control. But his wall crumbled immediately, two of the robed figures pushing their way through and throwing rocks aside as the other two followed. Before he even had a chance to raise his arms in defense, a ring of fire burst around him. He could hear Appa howling, but the fire pressed in too fast, too thick. He began to cough, the smoke filling his lungs, the pain and the pure blood pounding fear he felt leaving him powerless to fight, to do anything but curl and hope it would pass.

A path in the fire opened, mercifully fresh air rushing in and hitting his face. But even as he raised his head towards what he thought was to be his savior, the realities smacked him hard in the face; a single figure stepping through the ring of fire, red eyes wide and wild with excitement.

"I could kill you now!" Tonrar yelled over the flames. "Right now whilst you are too scared to even save your own life!"

Aang couldn't take his eyes away from the terrible creature above him. He was right, he was paralysed, never in his life had he felt fear as strong as he did now.

"But that would ultimately be pointless, so I will give you a choice." Tonrar raised his palm forward, and Aang felt the tugging in his stomach, and a single brilliant thought came to mind. _Go into the Avatar State. End this now._ Tonrar laughed, as that thought must have lift Aang's features. "That's right. Go back to the Fire Nation. Or go into the Avatar State, in which you will kill every single damn person between here and the doors of the palace itself!" _He's lying, go into the Avatar State, you can stop him._ But even as his terror took control of all his sense, and his tattoos began to glow, Tonrar's hand was pulled back, and the spirit let out an angry hiss.

"No, not her. Not yet." The fires around him extinguished, the light of the sun now grazing his skin. His fear simmered, his pain lessening, but his eyes losing focus. Far away, he could hear the roaring of a sky bison, and a much smaller, higher noise. Chittering, screeching.

"Momo?" But his strength faded, and all turned to black as he fell forward onto the hard, dusty ground.


	8. The Great Trepidation

"-Still looking clear out there?"

"Yeh, it seems to be. For now ... Maybe he won't come back tonight?"

"We can't know that, Sokka. We don't know anything about this guy! He could be waiting for it to get dark ..."

"Well, if he thinks that gives him an advantage against _me_ he's in for a world of pain."

_Pain ... it was dark, but he was warm, it was almost comforting. But pain. He remembered there had been pain._

"Still though, those robed people that were with him? Those voices? It sounded like thousands speaking at once, I've never heard anything like that before."

"I dunno, I kinda thought it sounded a little like Aang. You know, when he would talk in the Avatar State?"

 _The Avatar State ..._  
  
"How is he?"

A sigh.

"He's still out like a light. Maybe we should just move him onto Appa and get out of here, I don't like being out in the open like this."

_They were talking about him ... But, why? Why were they here? And why did his head still hurt so badly?_

It was his growing awareness of the pain in his head that pushed the involuntary groan from his throat, rousing him further into consciousness. There was heat on the left side of his face, his limbs felt weak and heavy, his chest tight and constricted. Memories rushed back to him as he woke from his blackout, the events that had passed before that moment coming back to him an instant as his eyes flew open.

"Aang!"

"Shh, quit yelling!"

He looked around him, eyes still adjusting to the light as his bleary gaze was drawn to the dying embers of a nearby fire. The sickly red glow, and the high imposing shadows that it formed around them reminded him strongly of the way Tonrar had trapped him in that cage of flames, and his heart began to race and pound.

"Aang, are you ok?"

He heard the voice, but he struggled to make sense of what was being said to him. He shut his eyes tight, fighting back the growing sensation of panic and claustrophobia that was already threatening to overcome him.

"Aang?"

He sensed rather than saw someone moving in closer to him, and his chest seemed to only constrict tighter. With gritted teeth he raised an arm out in front of him, as if trying to stop them from getting any closer to him, and forced himself to take deep breaths. For what felt like an age, dead silence surrounding him, he felt controlled enough to be able to speak.

"I'm - I'm, ah, fine. H-how did you find me?"

He opened his eyes again, which watered slightly in the red light, before looking to his left and towards the people who had come to his rescue. Katara stood the closest, her expression difficult to read, her brow seemed creased with just about every emotion there was. Toph, who stood at the back of the small group, let out a cold bark of laughter.

"You are joking right? You didn't think we, the people who know you most, wouldn't try looking for you at the Southern Air Temple after you did a runner?"

Even in his state of post panic, an attack still very much creeping around his edges, he realised just how ridiculous it had been for him to chose the Southern Air Temple as a hiding place. How exactly had he thought that was a good idea? That Katara wouldn't follow him there? He was able to manage a half-hearted laugh.

"Guess I hoped you wouldn't come after me. Most people can take a hint-" The words were barely out of his mouth before Toph slammed her heel down into the earth below her, forcing a slope of rock under his head to burst up, pushing him forcibly and painfully into a sitting position.

"Toph!" Katara cried, her voice outraged.

"Look, Twinkletoes," Toph snarled, pushing Sokka and Suki out of the way as she stalked forward. "I don't even want to be here right now! It wasn't my idea to follow you or pander to your being a brat. I've had bad enough a week already without your pain in the ass adding to it."

"Oh, _you've_ had a bad week?" Aang growled, rubbing the back of his now ever more painful head and glaring at her. "You wanna know what kind of week I've had, huh?"

"You don't wanna fight me right now, Twinkletoes ..."

"You wanna bet?" Aang snapped, sitting up straight and turning to face the earthbender just as she raised her fists. But, before either of them could act, Suki stepped forward, placing herself between them.

"Hey!" She yelled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Now is not the time."

Aang turned away, shutting his eyes once more and lowering his curled fists onto his lap. "You're right," he said after a moment, though his voice still shook. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted," Toph replied tartly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Toph ..." Suki warned.

"Oh, fine, I'm sorry too. You happy now?"

"I'm not sure that's quite the word for it, but that will do," Suke replied swiftly, casting another pointed look in the earthbender's direction before turning her attention back to Aang. She wasn't the only one. Katara was looking at him, though her flaring nostrils were the only thing that betrayed emotion on her face, which was cold and still. Sokka, however, wasn't making any effort to hide his feelings, and he glared at Aang with what was most certainly anger.

"Well?" He said, blue eyes narrowed. "Are you going to bother explaining yourself?"

He was so much like Katara in that moment that, at any other time, he was sure Toph would have teased Sokka for it, but the silence that followed his words perhaps said more about how angry and hurt the group was than anything else so far. Aang felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest again, and he looked away from Sokka's furious glare.

"I don't know if can," he said quietly.

"What does that mean?" It was Katara that spoke now, standing beside her brother who had put a hand on her shoulder. Suki and Toph seemed to have moved closer, as if they were trying to surround him. He swallowed hard, his palms sweating as he started to feel more and more claustrophobic.

"It means exactly what you think it means," Aang replied, trying to keep his voice level even as he felt his throat constrict. "How exactly do you expect me to explain myself when I don't even know what's going on?"

"Oh that's bull," Sokka snapped, taking Aang by surprise. "You know why you left the Fire Nation, why you thought it would be a great idea to leave Katara behind in the mess that you made."

"Sokka ..." Katara's voice was tipped with warning.

"No, Katara," Sokka continued, still glaring at Aang. "I don't care why you thought that would be ok, but I do care that you hurt my sister and that you didn't even consider the pile of crap she'd be dealing with because you wouldn't."

Sokka had gotten closer now, and though Aang knew what he was saying was fair, that he deserved to be yelled at, that frightened animal inside him was dangerously close to lashing out. To his immense relief, Toph at least seemed to pick up on this, and the sharp scowl on her forehead became less one of mutual frustration, and instead one of intense worry, and she stepped forward, grabbing Sokka on the arm.

"That's enough, Sokka, back off, ok?"

"What?"

"I may be blind but even I can see you're baiting a cornered animal here."

An uncomfortable silence followed this, as all heads turned back to Aang. True to Toph's words, Aang was struggling not to let his panic overcome him, his fists were clenched and he was staring hard at the floor, fighting to keep his breath even.

"Dammit," Sokka muttered. "Look, Aang, whatever is going on here it's pretty clear that you can't deal with it on your own. Why the spirit did you run off like that?"

"Putting you guys in danger wasn't exactly an ideal alternative," Aang managed, rubbing his palm hard against his throbbing forehead.

"Aang, one way or another we've all been in danger since the War," Suki explained softly. "Some of us even before that. This is no different."

"But this _is_ different!" Aang looked sharply over at Katara. "Did you tell them what happened out here? Did you tell them that I tried to kill you?"

Katara's eyes widened, the others gasped, and Sokka stepped forward once more.

"What?" He looked between Aang and Katara. "What ... you're joking, this is a bad joke."

"I told them Tonrar forced you into the Avatar State and you had no control," Katara interrupted, her expression cool and controlled again. "And whilst this may not be like the War, and regardless of what Tonrar had you do in the Avatar State, the fact that we're stronger and can face any danger as a team has not changed."

"And what if I'm the danger?"

" _Especially_ if you're the danger."

Aang simply shook his head. This was exactly the conversation he had wanted to avoid when he ran from the Fire Nation. He knew that she wouldn't have accepted that it was safer for him to be away from her, away from everyone, knew that she would have insisted she go with him, that she would put herself in danger to help him. Her defiance and her determination should have warmed his heart, but instead it just left him full of a cold, heavy sense of dread.

"Look," Toph sighed heavily. "Whatever else is going on right now, you can't ignore the fact that Tonrar ran as soon as we arrived. Regardless of what's more dangerous, don't think you think kicking us lose and getting attacked as soon as you're on your own again is really such a good idea?"

Despite everything, he knew that Toph was right. Before they had turned up, he had been losing control to the Avatar State, in which Tonrar could well have forced him to do things more terrible than he could imagine. He could, right at this moment, have been under Tonrar's control and laying waste to the lands between the Temple and the Fire Nation, crushing more innocent souls between rock and stone, watching homes swallowed by flames. At that thought, he saw clearly walls of fire pressing in on him, Tonrar's terrifying voice, and his nerves finally gave way.

"Fine," he muttered, his body slumping almost comically back onto the stone, eyes looking blankly out at the dark landscape around them.

"We should get out of here at least," Suki said, though her words barely registered with him. "We should head to the Southern Air Temple like you planned, Aang. It's somewhere isolated to start at least."

Sokka seemed very unsure, still struck by the knowledge that Aang had been forced to try and kill Katara under Tonrar's control, but he nodded, calling to Appa who wandered on from out of the shadow, Momo sat on his head. Tiredly, Aang raised his head. Katara was no longer looking at him, and he realised, for the first time, that her eyes were red and puffy, her hair hanging lose and her usual loopies absent. Seeing how much he had hurt her just made everything that much worse.

His body was still aching as he climbed up onto Appa's saddle, though he did his best to hide that fact from his friends, especially Katara. With a _yip yip_ from Sokka, the bison gratefully took to the sky, and Aang did not protest when Sokka sat at Appa's head and took the reins. Appa knew where to go, but the comfort of having someone at his head would be much needed after all his friend had gone through as well. Aang sat at the back of the saddle, before hearing a gentle chirrup that alerted him to Momo tentatively trying to climb onto his lap.

"I think Momo missed you as much as anyone," Suki said, the forced brightness in her voice obvious as she tried in vain to cheer the spirits of the group. But Aang was all too aware of the heat radiating off Sokka as he tried to come to terms with what Aang had told him, and the chill from Katara as she seated herself somewhat deliberately at the opposite end of the saddle from him. Toph sat, her body hunched forward as she crossed her arms tightly around her knees, her expression gloomy, and Aang found himself curious as to her outburst earlier.

"So, why have you had a bad week?" He asked, trying to move any and all topic of conversation away from him and Tonrar.

"Don't bother," Sokka scoffed, equally glad at the change of subject and clearly quite curious himself. "She's not telling us, either."

"Well, it's none of your business," Toph snapped. "Don't have to tell you guys everything that goes on all the time, do I?"

"Toph, you never tell us what's goes on," Sokka said pointedly, looking back over his shoulder at her.

"So I like to keep my private life private, what of it?"

"Satoru?"

Immediately Toph's face flashed bright red and she threw one of the packs with such force at Aang's chest that the wind was knocked out of him, causing him to regret his outburst, and Momo took off, chittering angrily.

"I said it's none of your business!" At that, everyone else on the saddle wisely decided to remain silent on the subject, and even Appa chose not to make a sound as he swooped out over the rocky outcrop and started his journey across the open ocean.

It was almost two full hours before anyone said a single word. Two hours where Aang had sat, a man on edge, expecting an attack from Tonrar swooping in from the dark the surrounded them. As much as he couldn't deny what Toph had said about their presence driving Tonrar away, he knew better than to think that it was nearly as simple as she thought. Yes, Tonrar had left, but he had also said the words 'not yet' before disappearing. Tonrar had plans for him, sure, but it seemed like he may even have had plans for his friends too. He had shuddered at the thought of what those plans could be. However, there was no attack, and finally the sun began to rise, casting a red light upon the ocean below them. The old airbending masters had always warned of the morning red sky, for it carried bad news and ill health. He could very well believe it. Even Toph, who certainly could not see the blood red of the morning sun seemed uncomfortable in it's glow. Soon enough, however, that red light gave way to warm yellow that painted a portrait that elicited very different reactions from everyone in the group.

Suki, who had never seen the Southern Air Temple, let out a loud gasp as the high towers and curling pathways of the temple came into view.

"Whoa ..." She leaned over the side of the temple, eyes wide with amazement. "Aang, it's beautiful!"

Even in his mixed state of apprehension and fear, Aang couldn't hold back the swelling in his chest that came whenever he thought of his homeland, which in itself was tenfold as he looked upon it for the first time in over four years.

The temple stood just as they had left it all those years ago, a tall tower of glistening white sat at its center, rows of silver and blue spiraling up its length. Large jagged pathways snaked their way through the peaks and vegetation, with other blue peaked towers reached high up into the morning sky. But, even in all its incredibly beauty there was a tangible sadness to be seen, the weeds and greenery having grown and obscured much of the temple itself, the remaining rock looking cold, hard, and lonely. The elation he had immediately felt seeing his home soon faded when the truth of its abandonment returned to him.

Before landing, Sokka pulled against the reins and lead a frustrated Appa away from his direct course to the center of the temple, and instead around its perimeter. Trying to ignore the loud beating of his heart and the sickness in his stomach, Aang leaned over the edge, eyes narrowed as he looked for any signs of danger. From the outside the place certainly looked empty, there was no sign that anything had even been touched for the last one hundred years, but he knew that didn't mean danger didn't lurk inside.

"I think we're safe," Sokka said eventually, taking his hand away from above his brow. "I can't see anything."

"That doesn't mean it's safe," Aang murmured, eyes still searching whilst they others looked back at him uncomfortably. "But I guess we won't know until we get down there." He heard a gentle and encouraging moan from Appa, and Momo climbed up onto his shoulder, chirruping into his ear, and he sighed. "Ok, guys, let's go home."

Sokka guided them down towards the empty pathway that stood outside of the Air Temple Sanctuary, the large door still open from when Aang had unsealed it all those years ago. Appa seemed to rejoice in his feet touching that stone once more, practically skipping in his descent, and Momo was quick to fly from Aang's shoulder, doing loops around them and chatting animatedly. Sokka and the others dropped from Appa's saddle, Toph immediately digging her heals into the stone, and Suki still staring with wide eyed astonishment at everything around her. Aang, on the other hand, suddenly found himself all but paralysed, his mind numb to all of his surroundings bar the dark doorward that led deep into the inner sanctum.

"Aang?"

He felt a clear and cold cut fear in his stomach, and his blood seemed to rush to his ears.

"Hey, Aang?"

A sharp nudge to his upper arm tore his eyes from the doorway, and he looked across to see Sokka had climbed back onto the saddle beside him, his arms full of bags and bedding.

"You alright?"

Aang blinked, looking sideways at the sanctuary, before nodding. Sokka eyed him for a moment, before he jumped from the saddle again.

"We could probably stay here the night. Or, well, day now," he glanced up at the sky. Toph curiously walked over to the door. "I mean, I know it's kinda ... creepy, but we can get a pretty good view from here. You know, in case anyone tries to sneak up on us." He glanced across at Aang again, who simply nodded, trying to hide his shaking hands from his friends.

"This place is full of statues," Toph announced. "I can feel loads of them."

"They're the past Avatars," Katara replied, hugging her own bag of supplies to her chest. "They're all here."

"That _is_ kinda creepy," Toph agreed.

Nervously the group moved in side, Aang bringing up the rear and trying hard not to let his growing fear get the better of him. He wasn't entirely sure whether his fear was still related to Tonrar's attack, or whether it was the very act of being back in the Southern Air Temple and seeing with such finality that it was still empty. He did know, however, that he couldn't afford to lose his cool in front of his friends again. He took another deep breath, letting his eyes adjust to the lower light levels inside, and looked out at the past Avatars. He heard Suki gasp once again as she took in the sight before her, and sure enough the statue room stood as it ever had, the previous Avatar statues lined up in rows, going in layers around the outside of the building. If Aang had had any thoughts that seeing his past lives would somehow calm him, they were soon lost, and with his stomach knotting around itself, he made his way over to where the state of Avatar Roku stood.

A deep sadness joined his turmoil of emotions as he looked up into that great stone face that had been his mentor for so long. It was set, resolute, the eyes looking out over Aang's head and at the world outside, as if still guarding it. Part of Aang wanted to reach out and touch the stone face, but he held back, wondering what sort of advice Roku would have had for him now, and whether he would finally be able to speak with him again; Tonrar's attack had left him too fearful to try getting back into the Avatar State or contacting his past lives.

"Hey, Aang, another airbender!"

"Well, of course there's other airbenders, Suki," he heard Sokka say.

"Watch it sleeveless guy. I only mean this guy kinda looks like him."

Aang knew what Suki was trying to do, and perhaps she alone seemed the keenest to keep the peace between everyone, but he appreciated her attempts none-the-less and he walked towards her, looking at the figure she was pointing at. The statue was of an airbending Avatar perhaps many cycles before his own, and true to her word, some of the features did seem a lot like his own. The same mouth, the same large hooded eyes, his ears were even big; were it not for the wider jaw line they could have been brothers. But, the face of this Avatar was different from the others looking out calmly and powerfully over the mountain ranges beyond. Instead, there was a smirk on his lips, one elbow resting a fist whilst a hand curled at the chin, as if in thought.

"I guess," Sokka said, appraising the statue. "If Aang was twice as tall and built like a mountain maybe."

Sokka wasn't wrong there, either. Aang was growing tall now, it certainly wouldn't be long before he'd pass Sokka in height, but he was nowhere close to this Avatar's height. Where Aang was wiry this Avatar was wide and muscular, and were it not for the fact his facial features were that of an Air Nomad, he could have easily passed for Earth Kingdom. Aang couldn't say he'd ever known an airbender even close to the size of this man.

"So, we're going to set up camp here, then?" Toph interrupted, and everyone was taken back to hear her voice sounding quiet and unsure. "I've got to be honest with you all, feeling all these statues around me feels really noisy."

"It does seem like a safe place to set up base," Suki replied, though she herself looked around the room, unsure.

"Hey, I'm up to suggestions," Sokka answered, holding both his hands up in submission.

"Well, where did all the airbenders sleep?" Katara asked, though she seemed unwilling to direct that question to Aang. "It might be more comfortable at least."

Aang glanced over to where Katara was standing, looking everywhere other than at him, and had to hold back a sigh. "The dorms are the near the center of the temple," he replied, his tone flat. "It's a tall building, go high enough and you can still get a pretty good view around us."

"Well, if it makes everyone happier we'll go to the dorms," Sokka said. "But can we hurry? None of us got any sleep last night whilst you were passed out. Or eaten. I would very much like to do those things, though not in that order."

Aang held back a sharp reply to Sokka's remark, but his irritation went unnoticed when Suki and Katara both rolled their eyes and sighed loudly to one another.

"Man's gotta eat," Sokka grumbled, before grabbing the pack he had dropped on the floor beside him and walking out of the sanctum. The girls followed him out, though Aang held back for a moment, looking up at the past airbender with the smirk, wondering why he seemed so different from all of the others before he, too, decided to follow.

With Sokka's stomach growling loudly, they decided that they would simply fly Appa to the center of the temple rather than walk. Appa, growling under his breath, was clearly unhappy with being woken up yet again, but he obliged none-the-less, and they all noted the skip in his step when the central pagoda came into view. For Aang, however, his anxiety only seemed to climb.

He, like all of the kids around his age, had slept in the same tower as their masters and teachers. This tower happened to be the tallest of all the dorms, allowing the masters at the very top to keep watch over any misbehaving young pupils. It had also been said that, the closer an airbender was to the clouds, the more in touch with the energy of the world they would feel. It was the dream of many young airbender to sleep at the very top, to feel that most beautiful and light of breezes as they woke each morning and slept each night. Aang himself had been no exception to this. But now, even has he had hoped to feel his heart sore and his emotions settle at the sight of his old home, he felt a sudden jolt as old wounds were wrenched open.

Scorch marks ran up the front of the tower, the beautiful white stone now grey and black and devoid of life. The wooden door that had once guarded the dorm entrance was shattered, charred, its remains covered in a carpet of ivy. In front of him stood such a powerful reminder of what had happened to his classmates, his old friends and family, the sort of end they had met at the hands of the firebender and the fear they must have felt that Aang's legs began to shake and he stopped dead. The others had stopped too, looking from the tower to Aang with discomfort. Perhaps with the beauty of the place they, at least, may have forgotten the realities of what had happened here over a century ago.

"We could go back to the statue room?" Sokka suggested, uncomfortably, seemingly forgetting his previous anger at Aang. "Or somewhere else?"

"It's fine," Aang managed, not looking at any of them. "We're here now, and I'm pretty sure we're going to find this everywhere."

Sokka and Suki exchanged concerned looks, before turning to continue to the stone steps that lead the way up to the dorm. Toph, however, reached out a hand and grabbed Sokka's wrist. She had a deep frown on her face, as if she was concentrating very hand, and Aang knew what she was going to say before she said it.

"Let's not go to the top, lower down is fine."

As much as he wanted to run from this reality, part of him knew that he would be walking to the top of that tower sometimes soon. He owed his people that, he owed it to all of them not to hide from what the Fire Nation had done. Now that he was here, maybe it was time that he gave everyone a proper Air Nomad funeral. Even if it was over a century too late.

"So, this is where you used to sleep?" Suki asked, forcing a lightness to her voice that sounded far too unreal.

"Yeh, about halfway up."

"Well, that sounds ideal then," Sokka replied, coming to a halt just outside the broken doors. "Still think we can get a decent enough look on everything from there?"

"So long as there are stone floors I can still keep a better watch on the place than you could from the top," Toph scoffed.

"And maybe we should all stay in the same room for now," Sokka continued, as if he hadn't heard her. "At least for tonight ... uh today ... spirits I wish we had been able to sleep ..."

"Sounds good," Suki agreed. "Appa and Momo can keep watch outside, can't you guys?"

The group looked round to see that the two animals, however, had already wandered off, settling the shade of a large fruit tree. Appa's eyes were shut tight, and Momo watched them sleepily from the bison's head.

"Well, that's settled then," Sokka said with some relief. "Snacks and sleep. At last." He took the first step into the tower, a small cloud of dust rising up from below his right boot, and peered briefly inside. He glanced back at the group, before waving his hand, beckoning them to follow him up the stairs. Aang filed up last, and his feet had barely touched the threshold before a vision of fire danced across his eyes, bright hot flames, a narrow dark staircase, screams and wails and laughter. He pulled his hand away from the stone wall, stepping back out of the tower as quick as he could without tripping.

"Aang?"

"Uh, I'm going to stay out here with Appa," Aang replied quickly, looking away from the temple. "Don't want to leave him out here alone, just in case."

"He's not alone, he's got Momo!" Sokka poked his head back down from the staircase. "Besides, you're a flight risk, you're coming with us."

"I'm not going to run, Sokka," Aang sighed.

"Oh, you expect me to believe that?"

"He's not lying," Toph said firmly, before pushing her way roughly past Sokka to make her up the staircase and out of sight. Sokka narrowed his eyes at Aang suspiciously.

"I still think we'd be better staying together ..."

"Sokka, I don't think I can go up there right now, ok?" Aang admitted. "Just ... you guys go get some sleep. I'll stay out here on first watch or something."

Sokka heaved an uncertain sigh, before finally shrugging. "Ok, but if you feel tempted to make a break for it, just know that Suki's got a nose like a polarbear dog and will find you."

"Hey!"

"Yes, Sokka," Aang replied, rolling his eyes as he took another grateful step away from the tower. Katara still stood in the shadows of the doorway, watching him, before she turned slowly to make her way up the staircase after Toph. Sokka took a moment to point two fingers at Aang, then at his own eyes, brow waggling significantly, before he too carried on up the staircase.

It was with mixed relief and sadness that Aang made his way over to where his sky bison was sleeping, the cold breeze from the south biting slightly at his skin. For better or worse, his friends were here with him now. He only hoped that Toph was right that Tonrar would be driven away by their presence and that he would be able to get a grip over himself. For now, there was quiet, and he could finally attempt to mediate into the spirit world. The Southern Air Temple had once been such a spiritual place, after all, and he knew that just beyond the overgrown stone ledge on the other side of the fruit trees was the beautiful circular arena where he, and his classmates, would meditate each morning. It was the perfect place to try.

The central stone arena was mostly free from weeds and thick vegetation, and it still overlooked the beautiful and hazy mountainsides that surround the temple, a scene so peaceful yet so powerful that it caused Aang's heart to jump a little in his chest. He remembered looking upon this beautiful scene so many times in his past, remembered feeling that the world was just pure, wonderful energy, innocent and refreshing. The amount of times he and his friends had jumped from that ledge, enjoying the strong up currents that allowed them to sore even without using airbending, to feel their spirits lift them higher and higher into the sky. He missed his glider again, being able to fly in those currents may have been just the thing to take his mind off Tonrar. He should have asked Katara if she'd been able to bring it with her. Perhaps she should have asked Katara a lot of things ...

With a heavy sigh, he sat down in the very center of the stone circle, crossing his legs underneath him and rolling his shoulder gently. Taking in a long breath through his nose he pressed his fists together, before breathing out through his mouth, trying to calm himself.

It was impossible.

Where Aang would ordinarily have felt a certain peace, his mind and body moving away from his current position and situation and drifting away to the spirit world or to speak to his past lives, he felt entirely and wholly stuck where he was. He couldn't take his mind off the hard stone below him, the cold wind on his face, the sound of birds twittering and even Appa's snores. Sounds and sensations that, in themselves could have been considered relaxing, were like nails down a chalkboard to him right now, and his brow furrowed and his fists clenched tighter and tighter as he failed to connect with his inner spiritual energy. After a good twenty minutes of trying, he finally let out an angry puff of air and opened his eyes.

"You've ruined me," Aang found himself snarling under his breath. Even having Appa stolen from him hadn't been able to break his connection with his inner spirit. Firelords, Azula, the loss of his people, through each of them he had still felt undeniably himself. But this new creature that Tonrar had turned him into? He got to his feet, casting a final look of longing out over the mountains around him, before heading back to the sleeping Appa, lying down and, after a good long while, finally falling asleep.

_He was back on the vast rock plateau, his body draped in clothes that he did not recognize, a torn blue vest and grey slacks. The breeze rushed through his hair, now shoulder length, and he raised his hands in front of him, as if checking that he still had his tattoos. He knew just a moment ago he had been at the Southern Air Temple, head bald and body draped in his rich orange robes, but here he stood, on that cold purple stone, the rows of tooth-like rock surrounding him. Raising a hand, he brushed his hair away from his face, squinting ahead of him into the dimly lit horizon, feeling the light burning in the back of his eyes. If this was another dream ... or nightmare ... then they were growing far too realistic for his liking.  
_   
_"You can't escape me here, you know."_

_Even though he had expected that silky and cold voice, his face still paled with fear, and he swung round as though he had been struck. Tonrar stood behind him, his expression different from before. That elegant brow was furrowed, and he looked at Aang with clear, honest dislike._

_"I always know where you are, where to find you, how to hurt you the most. I even know everything that your friends are doing ... and saying. You can't hide."  
_   
_"I'm not trying to hide from you," Aang replied, though his voice still shook. "But I'm not going to play into your hands either. You want me back in the Fire Nation, to hurt people, that's not going to happen."_

_At that, Tonrar smiled, his lips all but splitting his face in two as the revealed those rows or sharp teeth.  
_   
_"Oh, is that what you think? You think you have my intentions figured out?"_

_"I know you want me back around people." Aang took a defiant step forward, though he felt his legs practically shaking. "I don't care what you do to me any more, Tonrar, I'm not going to let that happen."_

_"Keep telling yourself that, boy, but if there's one thing that I know for certain, it's that the Avatar always remains the same. You should wake up now, one of your friends seems to be up to something."_  
  
Aang woke, eyes snapping open to see that night had fallen, a bright round moon shining above him and casting a silver light over the entire temple. Unlike many of the dreams, this one had such completely clarity that he felt as though he had been sitting having a conversation with Tonrar just seconds before, that he hadn't even been asleep, and though his fear was growing, his curiosity at what Tonrar had last said to him pushed his focus towards the central tower where his friends slept. Sure enough, disappearing into the dark, he saw a figure clothed in blue and shining silver, walking so silently that there was no way they would have woken up him if Tonrar hadn't. He glanced back up the tower, which remained still in the moonlight, and then over at the still sleeping figures of Appa and Momo, then got to his feet, following the figure down one of the curling paths of the Temple.

Being as quite as he could, stepping over the undergrowth and gliding across the stone with his airbender grace, the sound of water soon met his ears. Not running, but gentle splashes and sloshes that he recognized immediately as the sound of waterbending. Sure enough, he turned a corner and saw, standing tall and strong in the moonlight, Katara with arms raised and water in front of her. She looked so beautiful, silver light against her chocolate skin, her hair moving in the wind, and her body moving in motion with the water that she was bending from a small pond in the stone. Aang realised that he shouldn't be surprised to see her here, Katara rarely slept through the full moon, and often she would slip away to enjoy her bending when it was at its strongest.

He was saddened to see, however, that enjoyment wasn't the expression on her face. Her eyes were still somewhat pink, she had simply pulled her thick and hair back into an untidy bun, loopies still absent, and her mouth was set grimly. Her bending wasn't as harmonious as it would usually have been either, her movements somewhat violent, and fingers splayed. He hesitated, unsure whether he should approach or not, when his question was answered for him.

"I need to be alone for a while, Aang."

Katara hadn't looked round at him, though no doubt she had felt his presence when he arrived. She suddenly lifted half of the water from the pond, forming a flat plane that she froze into ice. For a second, he really considered leaving, but the pain on her face was too much for him to ignore.

"I'll leave," he said quietly, "but let me say one thing first."

Katara was silent for a moment, looking at the sheet of ice aloft before her, before her shoulders sunk, the ice shattered, and fell with a loud splash back into the pond.

"Fine."

He took a deep breath, heart still breaking from the coldness in her tone. "I didn't want to hurt you, Katara. But I knew I would have hurt you more by staying than I would by leaving."

The sharp pain across the left side of his face came so suddenly that, for the longest moment, he remained completely baffled as to its cause, blinking dumbly ahead of him, and holding his hand to his no-doubt reddening cheek. But Katara's flaring nostrils and blue eyes somehow burning like fire made it perfectly clear that her water whip had been the culprit.

"You're an idiot, Aang," she snapped. "A complete idiot."

Aang could only mouth at her, as with a growl she looked away from him, sitting down on a rock with arms and legs crossed tightly.

"That's a bit harsh," Aang mumbled, rubbing his cheek.

"Not harsh enough if you ask me," Katara replied scornfully. "Do you have any idea what you running away like that has done? How much worse you've made it, not just for me, but for yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone thinks you're _guilty_ , Aang." She looked over at him now. "They think you've gone rogue or something, and despite Dekho's account of your escape, there are still a lot of people in the Fire Nation who think I helped you do all that stuff. That I helped you get away without facing trial."

"What?!" Aang was dumbfounded. The very idea that anyone could think that Katara was capable of hurting someone, of helping anyone else to hurt someone, made him far angrier than the thought that people believed he was capable of it.

"You left," Katara continued, "and all anyone can remember is that you destroyed the Sage's Temple, you tried to kill a man, that you attacked Dekho, and that I was there, too. Even with Zuko telling his people that I wasn't involved and that you were under the control of a spirit, not everyone believed him. Sokka wouldn't let me go after you, but when people were calling for me to be arrested it didn't feel like we had any choice but to leave."

"Katara ..." his voice was weak, and he took several steps towards her. "I didn't ... I'm so-"

"You know, it wouldn't have been so bad if you had just waited for me." Her eyes were swimming with tears now. "I can handle people thinking badly of me, because I know the truth of what happened. But you leaving me like that? That you would knowingly hurt me that way? That I can't handle."

Aang's heart was hammering in his chest. She was right, he was an idiot, but if he could only make her see why he had left, why he had had no choice ... He swallowed, and braved walking back into her range of fire.

"Yes, I knew that it would hurt you," he said, refusing to look away from her furious eyes, "but if there was a choice between hurting you and killing you I knew what I had to choose."

"But I stopped you!" Katara all but yelled. "When Tonrar was controlling you I stopped you. What if I'm the only person that can?"

"And what if next time you can't?" He stood in front of her now, his own eyes beginning to sting as he looked at her sore ones, blazing up at him. With a pained sigh, he shook his head, before dropping to his knees, reaching out to take both her hands. For a moment she resisted, glaring and breathing heavily, but eventually she relented.

"Katara, I ... Look ..." he faltered, swallowing hard. "Katara I am so so sorry with the mess I left you with, and the hurt I've caused you. I _never_ want to do that to you again, but please you have to understand, I thought that if I stayed, or if you had come with me, if we had met Tonrar again he would make me kill you." His hands gripped hers tighter, and her scowl lessened as her blue eyes searched his. "Please ..." tears had begun to form in his eyes now, "Katara please understand I was scared. I still am ... I don't know what's going on, what's going to happen next, but I do know that I never wanted to hurt you this badly and that I never meant for you to have to deal with all of that."

Her breathing was still heavy, but her expression had softened as she looked down at him, a single tear still trailing down her cheek. For a moment, he felt sure that she was not going to forgive him, that she would ask him to leave again, but then her shoulders sagged and she sighed.

"I understand, Aang." She squeezed his hands. "I know this has been scary for you, and I'm sorry it took me a little while to be ok with this. But you've got to understand something, too." Her voice was serious now, and she frowned at him slightly. "We're both stronger together. Whatever is to come with Tonrar, we face it as a team, ok?"

Aang looked down at her hands. His heart still thumped and he felt much discomfort in his stomach at the very thought of Katara being with him the next time Tonrar made an appearance yet he still couldn't deny that he already felt stronger than he had done on his own.

"You know this is going to be dangerous?" She smiled at him, all past mistakes forgiven.

"I know. But, this is us, when is it ever not dangerous?" Her eyes sparkled with humour as she said this, and Aang finally felt a smile comes to his lips, much needed relief in what had otherwise been a fog of doubt.

"Kinda makes you miss the old days, huh? Back when it was just an entire nation trying to take over the world." Katara laughed.

"I dunno, the new days have their perks." With that, she leaned down, pressing her lips against his. It was like all of his worries melted away, his heart stopped thumping with anxiety and starting drumming jubilantly, and he pulled her hands to his chest as he reached his head up level to hers. Kissing Katara was like a kind of meditation that brought him peace and clarity, yet also left his entire mind and body dazed and flustered, like he knew exactly what he wanted and what he needed to do; to make her happy and to keep her safe whilst simultaneously unsure of where he should be and what he should be doing. It was a strange sensation of utter confidence and complete confusion. As if to add that that feeling, Katara slipped from the rock, her legs sliding either side of him so that she sat on his lap, closing the gap between their bodies and sending a surge of convoluted emotions and sensations running though him, as her hands let go of his and slid around his neck, his falling naturally on her waist. What was Tonrar, really, compared to this terrifying and exciting new stage in their relationship? Where their gentle kisses had gradually become longer, her hands often finding his chest whilst his found her waist. What was this all-powerful, all-controlling spirit compared with the new intensity with which they kissed, tongues meeting and teeth knocking? They had no time to find out, however.

"Katara!"

The pair pulled apart, Sokka's voice rousing them back to the concerns of the real world, and the realisation that if they didn't stop Sokka's anger at Aang would perhaps be far greater than it had been before.

"Hey, Katara!"

Their eyes locked, before they suddenly became very aware of the way Katara was straddling him and his hands were skimming below her waist, and hastily they pulled apart, faces blushing red enough to show in the moonlight.

"We best get back before Sokka loses it completely."

"I definitely don't need him any angrier at me." Katara giggled at him, the sound causing his heart to leap happily again, and the pair headed back towards the tower.

It was going to be difficult, he knew that, and having her so close to the danger was never going to be comfortable, but maybe her light was what he needed to fight against the darkness that had been growing ever since he had faced Tonrar the first time.


	9. Game Set Match

In the three days that followed their arrival at the Southern Air Temple, Aang hadn't a single nightmare about Tonrar, not one bad feeling that the spirit was nearby and, much to his relief, it seemed not one of his friends was about to start talking about it. He suspected that Katara, or even Suki, had something to do with this, and instead of questioning him on what he knew about Tonrar and what had happened between the time he had run from the Fire Nation and been found in the South, the focus seemed to be entirely on distracting him as much as possible. As guilty as he felt that everyone was having to go out of their way just to keep him from self destructing, he couldn't deny that he appreciated their attempts at cheering him up immensely.

The morning after their first night at the temple Aang had been woken by Katara, who had already gotten some breakfast ready for them. Any awkwardness that had been created by Aang's reactions to them the day before seemed to have been forgotten, and Sokka seemed eager to usher Aang over to breakfast.

"So, I've been thinking," he said, mouth full of rice, "you know how you often threw around the idea of restoring the temples at some point?"

Aang had nodded, taking his own bowl from Katara, who was scowling at Sokka's blatant disregard for good manners.

"Well, why don't we get started here? Until we know what's going on with, uh, you know who, we could tidy this place up a bit. We don't know how long we'll be here, may as well make the most of our time."

Aang's first instinct had been to refuse. With such a tenuous hold on his emotions he wasn't sure if exploring his old home was such a good idea. But the genuine enthusiasm in Sokka's eyes, and the encouraging look that Katara flashed him, lead him to reconsider. After all, he didn't have to go anywhere that he didn't feel comfortable with right now, but maybe spending some time at the temple doing something positive would help him to feel more like himself again. And so he had agreed, and the group had spent the next few days working hard on different areas of the temple, pulling up overgrowing vegetation, repairing stone with their bending where possible, cleaning up the vast amounts of dust and rubble that had formed over the last century. There were still places he couldn't go; the old dorms still felt impossible to enter, and the stone building where he knew Gyatso's remains lay were a strict no-go area for him. But, for the most part, he could feel a sense of positivity returning, a sense of hope, and undeniably he felt better about his friends having found him and not letting him go off alone.

His relationship with his friends had changed, however. Toph seemed to be hyper aware of him at almost all times, and he could almost sense her reading him, making sure that he was speaking honestly and that he was remaining level headed. Sokka, for all the shock and anger he had shown when he had found out about Aang's attempts to murder his sister, seemed remarkably unphased once more, though Aang definitely noticed that Sokka refused to go anywhere without his whale bone sword attached to his hip. Suki and Katara seemed the only ones not behaving out of the ordinary, but he supposed the four of them were talking about him when they retired to the dorm and he went and slept by Appa and Momo.

Despite their intimate kiss a couple nights before, Aang and Katara hadn't really had much of an opportunity to spend any time alone. Indeed, their relationship seemed much the same as it had before Katara had left for the South Pole, he relying heavily on her words of affection and her hand in his. But, with Sokka a constant presence and not-so discretely keeping an eye on Aang, there had been no chance for the two of them to really discuss or act upon that small but undeniable step forward in their relationship. In truth, Aang wasn't sure if he was disappointed or not. For as much as the twelve-year-old boy still inside him wanted desperately to know what came next, the sixteen-year-old that had been forced to mature so suddenly knew that anything more could be dangerous and difficult. Not only was their present predicament somewhat unexpected and potentially life threatening, Yuddha's words still plagued him at times. Whether they did after the disaster in the Fire Nation or not, Aang knew that many expected him to be marrying, probably having children, working towards bringing back his almost extinct people. That wasn't fair on Katara, and to be as completely honest as possible he wasn't ready for that yet. Not when the world was still in such disarray. And so, the couple had contented themselves with hand holding and sweet talk, and even with Sokka's complaints in the background, Aang allowed himself to feel the smallest amount of contentment, to try and forget everything awful that had been happening.

On their third day at the temple, Aang was woken from another mercifully dreamless sleep by what felt like a hard kick to his shin. Grumbling he pulled the blanket away from over his face, and looked around with bleary eyes.

"Toph, what the hey?"

"Wake up, Twinkletoes," the earthbender replied, hands on hips and she kicked him again. "I know we're all trying to be super nice to you and everything but doesn't seem right that you get to sleep as long as you want when Katara gets us up at pretty much crack of dawn."

Still grumbling, Aang sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "Why does she wake you up that early?" He yawned.

"Beats me," Toph sighed. "Something about needing help setting up breakfast and making sure someone's awake before you are."

No long feeling sleepy, Aang frowned. "You know I don't need baby sitting, right?"

"Oh I know, but trying telling Katara that." Toph turned and began to walk in the direction from which the sound of sizzling breakfast came, and feeling somewhat guilty, Aang got to his feet. Having them trying to keep his spirits high was one thing, but making sure there was always someone around to keep an eye on him? If he wasn't so unsure of himself he might have found it insulting. After slipping behind some thick bushes to change his clothes and hastily brush his teeth, he made his way over to the rest of the group.

When he arrived, Katara was still finishing off breakfast, cooking some thin slices of meat up for them and some egg for him, with the rice boiling away in a large pot, and the smell made his stomach grumble loudly.

"Morning, sweetie," she said with a smile, to which Sokka made a disgusted noise and rolled his eyes. Ignoring Sokka, Aang came to her side and pecked her on her cheek.

"Morning, sweetie."

"Why can't you guys just call each other by name?" Sokka grumbled. "You're going to ruin my appetite."

"Sokka's just jealous because you don't call him sweetie, Aang," Toph said, leaning back languidly against a rock and picking her teeth.

"You only have to ask, Sokka," Aang said, and Katara and Suki both laughed as Sokka glared at him.

"Ha ha very funny," he muttered sourly. His mood was lifted, however, when Katara pushed a bowl of breakfast into his hands.

"So, what's the plan today?" Suki asked, taking her own breakfast.

"Well, I had an idea of what we can start work on next," Katara announced, looking over at Aang with a wide small. Aang, who already had a mouth full of food, blinked back confused.

"Wha-?" He managed. Katara deadpanned.

"Really? Does it have to just be the girls with manners around here?" On cue, Toph let out a loud belch. Katara sighed. "Fine, whatever." Aang hastily swallowed his food.

"What did you want to start work on next, sweetie?" He asked, careful to annunciation each syllable though only really achieving a tone of sarcasm that earned him a withering glare from Katara.

"Well, maybe I'll just tell Suki and you three can stay here being slobs together!"

"I didn't mean it," he said softly, taking one of her hands and pressing it to his lips. Sokka made a disgusted noise. "What did you want to do?"

"Well," Katara's eyes flashed excitedly again. "I was thinking that we could start tidying up the airball court!"

"It looked fine last time we were there," Sokka said, filling his already empty bowl up with the meat that remained on the pan.

"That was four years ago, Sokka."

"I think that's a great idea," Aang said. And he did. After all, he knew at some point they were going to suggest the dorms, or the sanctum, and the longer he could avoid that the better.

"I thought, maybe, we could try and play a game too," Katara continued, her eyes practically dancing with delight at Aang liking her suggestion. "It'd be fun!"

"You know that game is impossible if you can't airbend?" Sokka butted in. "I'm not going to be tricked into that again."

"Oh, Sokka, stop being a baby." Suki said. "I'm sure it's not that bad. Let's give it a go."

After breakfast, the group made their way on Appa down to the airball court which remained, as Sokka had predicted, in remarkably good condition given the century that it had stood abandoned and unkempt. Plants had grown up some of the wooden poles, and weeds stuck out between the gaps in the stone, but it was nothing that a little bit of spit and bending couldn't take care of. Suki seemed intrigued, placing a hand against the nearest pole, Toph however looked thoroughly put out.

"How exactly am I supposed to play this game?" She asked. "Unless those poles are just decorative. I won't be able to see a thing up on those."

"Oh ..." Katara looked over at her guiltily. "Sorry, Toph, I guess I didn't realise."

"It's fine," Toph replied, kicking up a slab of rock from the ground. "I've got a day of sitting around doing nothing to catch up on anyway."

"Oh Toph, I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"No it's fine," Toph repeated, sitting back. "I'm sure listening to Sokka embarass himself will be entertaining enough."

"Hey! Why is it always me you pick on?"

"You make it so easy."

"So, what are the rules?" Suki asked. She had already climbed up onto the pole and was sat looking down at them. Aang glanced around the court, finally spotting the old hollowed wooden airball lying beside a bed of flowering quince. A sense of nostalgia passed over him as he picked it up, the subtle old cane wood giving way softly in his hands.

"It's easy enough," he said, his spirits already beginning to lift. "You've got to get this ball-" he held up the airball, "into those hoops." He pointed towards the hoop at the other side of the court, at the wooden goalpost.

"That seems easy enough," Suki replied brightly, neatly skipping from one pole to the next as if testing her agility. Sokka looked less confident.

"Well, the idea is that you use airbending to get the ball across," Aang continued, and he jumped up onto one of the poles closest to the left goal and, raising the ball into the air and working it into a spin, he cut a slice through the air that sent the ball ricocheting off the poles before soaring neatly through the farthest goal post. "So, that's where it's going to get tough for you guys. I mean, don't feel bad," he added, as he jumped and landed beside the fallen ball, "not even some airbenders could get the hang of it."

"You see what I mean?" Sokka said, arms crossed. "It's impossible."

"We'll just have to adjust the game a little bit," Suki said. "If Aang can airbend, then Katara should be allowed to waterbend, don't you think?"

"Seems fair to me," Aang shrugged.

"And there should be a bender on each team. So, I propose girls versus boys, me and Katara against you two slobs."

At that, Sokka perked up. "Well, if I'm going to be on Aang's side, maybe this game isn't going to be a complete waste of time. Watch out, ladies, you don't stand a chance." He jumped up, grabbing the top of the wooden pole, before his feet slipped and he fell gracelessly onto his rear.

"You're right," Toph said, picking her nose and tapping her feet lazily. "You're unstoppable, Sokka."

He threw her an irritated glare before Aang brought up the earth below Sokka, throwing him onto the wooden beam beside him with an oof.

"The youngest player gets to put the ball into play," Aang continued. "So that's me."

"Uh, technically you're one hundred and sixteen years old," Katara called back at him from her side of the court. "By my count that makes you the oldest and me the youngest."

"She's got a point," Suki agreed.

"Yeh but he was in an iceburg for one hundred of those, it doesn't count!"

"Ref calls it!" The foursome looked over to see Toph raising a hand. "And given you're all rudely playing a game I can't join in on, I think I should be the ref. Aang's an old man, Katara gets the put the ball into play."

"Yes!" Katara and Suki high-fived one another.

"Don't get too excited, that's means you're dating an old man, Katara."

"Haha, Katara!" At that, Sokka raised his hand as if to high five Aang, before realising what he was doing and hastily dropping his hand. Katara was already holding her hand out for the ball, smirking at the pair of them, and Aang threw it to her.

"Ok, Katara puts the ball into play then," he conceded. "But you can't aim for the goal on your first throw. If you fall off the poles once that's a penalty and the opposing team gets a free throw, if you fall off twice then that player is out of the game!"

"Ahh man," Sokka muttered, looking uncomfortably down at the ground.

"First to seven goals wins the game. Any questions?"

"Can we throw back?" Katara asked, holding the ball against her hip with one arm, her face the very picture of confidence.

"Yeh."

"And you can only use airbending, right?"

"Uhh ... yeh."

"Ok, then I'm good to go," Katara replied, before she and Suki ducked close to each other and whispered briefly in one another's ears.

"Uhh, should we be developing a strategy too?" Sokka asked.

"Good idea." Aang leaned in close to Sokka now. "I'll defend and go for the goals, you just try and stay on the poles."

Sokka scowled at him. "Oh everyone's a comedian round here."

"You lily livers ready?" Suki yelled.

"Oh, we're ready you ... lily ... uhh ... We're ready alright!" Sokka yelled back.

Toph cleared her throat loudly, holding up a hand again and pointing three fingers to the sky. "On my count-"

"Don't think we're going to take it easy on you just because you've not played before!" Aang called.

"Three ... two ... one ... Go!"

Aang expected Katara to immediately throw the ball, complete with her own brand of violent waterbending, straight towards the goal, and readied himself to defend, however he and Sokka were taken back when she just smiled sweetly at both of them and threw the ball backwards to Suki.

"What was the point in that?" Sokka threw both his hands in the air. "You know you're supposed to throw the ball towards the go-"

His words were cut short by Suki throwing the ball up in the air above her, and taking a fast and powerful kick towards the goal as it came back down. Sokka ducked, and Aang who had been distracted by Katara's move and Sokka's goading, almost completely missed the ball as it threatened to fly straight into the goal. Spreading his finger tips he just managed to get a blast of air behind the ball and send it straight back towards the girls, but Katara was prepared, pulling water from the weeds that grew around the posts and causing the ball to soar right over Aang and Sokka's head and, with a satisfying swoosh, straight into the goal.

Aang and Sokka's mouths fell open, as Katara and Suki cheered, high fiving one another again.

"Alright this means business!" Sokka yelled, catching the ball as Toph kicked it back into the air with her earthbending. "Sokka punch!" With surprising accuracy, Sokka threw the ball up and hit it with the back of his fist towards the other goal post. Aang, who was still a little surprised with the ease Katara had bested him last goal, took a moment to react when the airball was thrown straight back at them with her bending, though he wasn't going to let the ball slip past him again. He saw Suki and Katara both reaching up, and decided to bend the ball low, it skimmed past both of them before they could react and went into the goal.

"Airbending slice!" Sokka swung his hands in front of him as if in demonstration, whilst Aang grinned smugly at Katara.

"Looks like we actually have a game on our hands," Suki said happily as she took the ball.

"Mmhmm." Katara began piling her thick hair back into a single ponytail before pulling a yellow piece of fabric out from the front of her top, something that Aang found incredibly fascinating, his collar growing hot as she stretched up and tied the ribbon around her hair.

"Dammit man, don't let their feminine wiles fool you!" Sokka slapped him hard around the back of his bald head, bringing him back to reality. Katara simply smiled at him again, before Suki kicked the airball towards the goal. The game was a surprisingly even one, Katara's bending proving to be quite the match for Aang's practiced hand at getting the ball to go where he wanted it to. Even when Sokka took a fall once, the warrior remained in high, and highly competitive spirits, and it wasn't until Suki took a fall and Sokka all too excited ran forward to take his shot at the goal and fell a second time that the game started to take a shift in one team's favour. Sokka had sworn loudly, causing Katara to scorn him and Toph to let out a loud snort of anger, but still the warrior had stood by Aang's side of the court, yelling and encouraging him to take down 'those bunch of girls and defend his honour." Even without having to worry about Sokka slipping, however, Aang wasn't having the easiest time of it. Katara knew very well that she was able to distract him, stretching in between throws, casually biting her lips if they made eye contact, it was decidedly unfair. Eventually, with each team both tied on six, Suki took her final fall.

"Suuuuukiiii's out!" Toph yelled. She was standing, seemingly unable to remain seated through what was such an exciting event. Growling Suki rubbed her rear, whilst Sokka stuck his tongue out.

"Kick his butt, Katara," she called back to her team mate, who was already preparing to block Aang's free throw.

"Oh, I intend to," she said back, eyes flashing in Aang's direction. He strove to ignore her, which was especially difficult when she leaned forward, the top of her tunic sliding down one shoulder and revealing that she was wearing something else yellow underneath her clothing. Oh she had this planned, he realised, his palms sweaty. This entire game had been organised just so she could mess with him.

"Are you going to take your throw, sweetie?" She asked.

Girls are evil, he thought to himself. He took a deep breath, making the ball spin in front of him, before he sliced his hands through the air, angling to ball outwards yet curving towards the goal. Katara was quick to react, bending a piece of ice out of the ground that stuck the ball, before she aimed it back towards him.

"Aang I swear to Yue if you let a girl beat you-"

Aang threw the ball back, Katara reacted, and perhaps the most intense match of airball proceeded over the next few minutes, Sokka practically pulling his hair out at the sidelines, Suki and Toph yelling for Katara to 'take out the Avatar', Aang no longer caring about being the gentleman and hitting the ball as hard as he could each time whilst Katara retaliated with equal fierceness until, finally-

"KATARA SCORES!"

Sokka let out a wail of despair whilst Toph and Suki cheered, Katara throwing her arms in the air triumphantly, and Aang left soaked after Katara had drenched him in a small wave in her attempt to get the ball into the goal.

"Who knew you had it in you, Sugar Queen?" Katara grinned and bowed, before smirking at Aang again, who glowered for a moment, before a smile broke his lips too. Girls were evil, he conceded, as she jumped down from the poles, but there was no denying that this had been a very good way to spend the day. Shaking his head, yet smiling only broader, he jumped down too. Sokka shook his head in utter disappointment, Toph called him a girl several times, but it was impossible for him to feel the least bit down when Katara's face was glowing with such utter joy.

Much later, after Sokka had insisted on one more game against Suki, which he lost, and they had eventually decided that they would at least try to tidy up the court a little, the group made their way back to the dorm on Appa, everyone tired yet content, faces sore from laughing, and stomachs rumbling with the appetite they had built up, and not a single one of them thinking about why they were here, what had happened in the Fire Nation, and what was yet to be.  
oOoOo

The night was cold, a biting breeze stinging his bare torso as he sat, legs crossed, fingers interlocked, and eyes closed. For the first time in what felt like weeks, the Avatar had gone to bed in good spirits, and had decided that he would attempt to meditate into the Spirit World once more, to contact his past lives, or perhaps even to try and speak to the only ancient spirit that he knew, though he hoped it wouldn't come to the latter. It was an undeniably curious position he found himself in.

Crossing into the Spirit World via meditation always felt like slipping his mind into a warm bath, the warmth gradually rising until his entire consciousness seemed to be submerged and he was no longer aware of his physically body back in the Mortal World. When he couldn't cross over there was simply nothing, no wall, no mugginess, just simply nothing. But his attempts to cross over lately felt like he was fazing in and out, like dipping his toe into a freezing lake and struggling to find the strength to submerge the rest of himself. It was there, he could feel it, the Spirit World was just below that lake, but with every inch of his body dipping into it his tolerance for that icey cold would lessen, and he would have to jump straight back out again. He wasn't sure if his inability to enter was down to the damage Tonrar had caused, or if the Spirit World simply didn't want him there. But the combination of icy lakes and biting winds made it impossible for him to push any farther.

"Aang."

A voice just as cold as lake and wind cut through him.

"Aang?"

He opened his eyes, the physical world and its elements becoming known to him once more, and he looked towards the source of the voice. It was late, his friends had retired to the dorm some time ago, and he was surprised to see Katara standing in front of him.

"Katara?" He looked up at her with concern, worried that something had happened. "What's the matter? Is everything ok?"

"Yeh, everything's fine," she replied, though she cocked her head to one side. "Are you ok? You were frowning."

"Oh, was I?" he rubbed the back of his head and threw her a smile. "It's nothing to worry about, I was just meditating."

Katara came and sat beside him, breathing a small sigh.

"What are you doing up?" Aang asked, leaning forward to look at her.

"Well, everyone else is asleep, exhausted after today I expect, so I thought I'd come and give you some company."

"But it's cold out here," Aang said softly, reaching out and arm and wrapping it around her shoulders.

"Mmhmm." She nestled closer, a grin on her face, and Aang caught on.

"You organised this didn't you?" He asked. "The airball thing was just to tire everyone out so they wouldn't bother us tonight."

Katara raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "You really think I would do something like that?"

"I really think you would."

She laughed, resting her head against his chest, and with a content smile he kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair.

"Ok, so I wanted to spend some time with you without Sokka peering over my shoulder," she admitted. "Is that's so bad?"

"Definitely not."

A silence fell over them as the pair cuddled up, Aang with his arms around her and looking out over the mountain ranges beyond. A large part of his mind remained preoccupied with his inability to get into the Spirit World, because he honestly could not see how he could understand Tonrar, understand how to fight him, without contacting his past lives. He knew so little about this spirit, he knew so little even about what he wanted, he needed help and he needed guidance, perhaps now more than ever. A soft sensation on his arm dragged his attention away from the dark landscape and he looked down to see Katara running a finger up and down his forearm. The expression on her face seemed equally as contemplative as his must have been, and he loosened his hold around her and looked into her eyes.

"Katara? What's wrong?"

She looked back at him for a moment, as if unsure of where to start, before sighing gently. "There's nothing wrong, not exactly."

He cocked his head in light encouragement for her to continue.

"I know we're all trying hard not to talk about it," she said. "Not yet. But I'm still worried."

"Me too," Aang mumbled, his heart skipping a beat at the thought of the dark spirit. "I don't want him near me, but I don't like not knowing where he is, either."

"I meant about you."

Aang looked down at her, blinking.

"I know we'll deal with Tonrar, one way or another. But I'm worried about you, about how much you've changed over the last few weeks."

A sinking stomach now joined his skipping heart.

"I understand that this is a scary time for you, Aang," she continued, reaching up and touching his cheek. "But you can't let it change you."

Change him? He knew full well that he had changed. His connection to his past lives seemed to be lost, he couldn't control the Avatar State, he could not control his emotions and he felt more fear now than he had ever done in his life, how could all of that not change him? For the briefest of moments he felt a flash of anger that Katara would say she understood how scary it was for him yet ask that he doesn't change. Hadn't she changed during the War? Hadn't they all? But the warmth of her hand on his cheek calmed him, and he gently placed his own palm over hers.

"I'm trying," he said, honestly. "But this has changed me and for better or worse I just have to learn to deal with that."

She seemed taken aback, her eyes wrought with concern, but he smiled at her.

"Change isn't such a bad thing," he said, and then he surprised himself with a laugh. "Look how much things have changed between us since we first met! It was scary the first few times I tried to tell you how I felt about you, scary the first time we went on a date ..."

"You know those aren't really comparable to fighting an all-controlling spirit," Katara interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"Speak for yourself!" He took her hand from his cheek, gently kissing the back of it. "My point is, things are going to be different for a while, but I know we're strong enough to cope with it."

"Where's all this wisdom coming from, huh?" Katara asked, nudging him gently and smiling. Aang pressed their palms flat together, before letting their fingers interlock.

"Actually, from you." At that, Katara blushed, and she looked out over the mountains basking in moonlight, and he could only stare at her pretty red cheeks and shining eyes, and the small smile on her lips.

"You were really that scared on our first date?" She asked at last, looking back at him.

"You kidding? I mean, I'd only spend an entire year falling in love with you, you're just about the most talented bender I've ever known, and the most beautiful woman in the world to boot. My knees were shaking the entire time."

Katara laughed. "Well, if it makes you feel any better I didn't notice. I was too busy feeling dazed that I had fallen for my best friend."

"Sokka's right," Aang said. "We are sickeningly adorable, aren't we?"

"We are the cutest." They smirked at one another, before Katara pulled away from him and, just like she had a few nights ago, sat on his lap so that they were face to face, legs crossed around him. His heart skipped again, though this time with happiness and anticipation, as he gently brushed her hair back over her shoulders. He noticed the yellow thin straps over her shoulders, and ran his finger across one of them.

"You don't normally wear yellow," he mused.

"I like the colour," she replied, before pointedly pulling at the leg of his trousers. "And I thought maybe you'd like it."

He felt his neck growing hot again, and cleared his throat. "Yeh, it's uhh ... it's nice." She looked at him rather intensely then, and he could feel through the earth below them her heart starting to beat a million miles an hour, and she bit her lip as if struggling with a decision. "What is it?"

A slither of fear crossed across her features, and she swallowed loudly. "Uhh, nothing, nothing I was just ... uhh." She tapered off.

"Sweetie?" Aang narrowed his brow, concerned. At that, Katara pressed her lips tightly together, and took a deep breath, before she reached down and began to untie the white sash around her waist. "Uhh-" Aang was cut short however when she swiftly pulled her tunic over her head, revealing the yellow woven bra she wore beneath. The heat around Aang's neck spread to his face to his toes, to just about everywhere else and he stammered. "O-oh."

"Just kiss me before I get cold feet," she said quickly, her own face bright red. He didn't need telling twice, practically smashing his lips against hers in his own mixed awkwardness and excitement. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as his curled around her waist, his hands holding her sides and running against her bare skin. It certainly wasn't their most graceful of kisses, they were both so giddy with their new intimacy that it felt like they were learning to do so all over again, but the elation Aang felt could be compared to nothing, as her body pressed against his and her hands on the back of his head, a shared sensation of desire between them. His hands slid up to her ribs, and Katara moved up his body, so that his head had to tilt backward to kiss her, before the pair lost balance, causing Aang to fall backwards, their foreheads knocking together as they fell, coaxing a yelp from both of them. Eyes opened, eyes locked, faces blushed beetroot red before they both snorted with laughter.

"We're definitely too adorable for our own goods," he said, rubbing the tip of his nose against hers, before pulling her into another long kiss, his hands running up her back whilst she sighed happily against him. He imagined that he should be taking things further, wondered if she wanted him to kiss her somewhere other than the lips, wondered how she would feel about him moving his hands lower, but before he could act upon these thoughts, his foot pressed flat to the earth picked up a slight rumble of activity, and he broke away, looking quickly down. Katara let out an irritated moan, but also looked down when she saw that Aang had been distracted by something.

"Is Sokka always going to interrupt us?" She asked with a heavy sigh.

"It might have just been Appa or Momo," Aang replied, when he felt no more movement. He looked up at her, laying so delightfully across his body.

"We probably should stop," she said, clearly disappointed. "It could be Sokka next time."

"If we must ..." he kissed her on the cheek, then the chin, then her other cheek before she sat up. He tried in vain not to watch her as she grabbed her tunic and tied it back around her.

"I'm staying out here with you, though," she said with finality. "As you said before, it's cold out here. You can't be expected to sleep out here on your own."

Aang stood up, reaching out a hand to help her to her feet. "I have no problem with that."

They wandered, hand in hand, back to where Momo and Appa were sleeping, the cold wind making them both grateful that they would have another to rely on for warmth. Before long Aang had made up a rough bed for them out of the blankets that remained on Appa's saddle, and the pair lay close together, Aang wrapping his arms around her whilst she buried her face under his chin. He knew sleep would take him quickly, he always did sleep better when she was there with him, and her contented breathing was almost like a lullaby as his eyes slipped shut.

_Fire blazed all around him, a heat pressing in on him that left his chest constricted, his skin red raw, and all that he could manage was a weak scramble, bare feet smacking to the hot stone floor, he arms pulling him forward as much as his legs were. He had to get away from the fire before exhaustion took him and he perished inside of it. He felt stone start to cool and he realised that he could breathe easier, looking up from the ground to find himself standing in the courtyard outside of the Temple dorms. Panting, he pulled himself up straight, looking back over his shoulder to see no sign of the firey inferno that had chased him here. He wore the same blue tunic and grey pants from his last dream, though the only sign of wear was the dirt on his knees. Still panting, he looked back towards the Temple._

_It seemed larger than ever before, towering over him, and there were ... noises coming from inside. Faint. Scowling he took a step closer, his ears desperate to pick up the source of the noises. It was with pure blood draining horror that he heard screams. Begging. Crying. And laughter. Cold high laughter that he knew too well. His people were trapped, they were being killed up there. He was killing them. Flashes of red and orange lit the windows, and the screaming grew louder._

_"Aang please, pleeeeease!"_

_He ran forward, but as soon as his feet hit the first step into the tower he froze, his chest seemed to implode with panic, and he realised that he couldn't take another step into the tower. He couldn't see what was happening, what had already happened. He couldn't save them._

_"Aang he's killing us!"_

_His hands shook violently and he sank to his knees, tears streaming down his face._

_"I'm sorry," he managed. "I can't. I can't save you. I can't, I can't, I can't-"_

"Aang?" His eyes snapped open. The heat from the fire vanished, and the cold of the stone he lay upon hit him with almost as much force. His face was wet and his chest was heaving, and above him blue eyes shone wide and worried and fearful.

"Sweetie, it's ok. It's ok it was just a dream. Just a dream ..."

 _A dream?_ He raised a shaking hand to wipe away the very real tears from his face, before he sat up. It was early morning, the fire that he lad lit the night before was now just a smouldered heap on the ground, and a sick red light seemed to light up the courtyard. _It hadn't felt like a dream._

"Aang? Please say something."

He looked across at Katara, her hands gripping his shoulder and cheek, her expression trying to comfort whilst also trying to hide the fear that lay within them.

"They were trapped. All of them."

"All of who? Sweetie, who are you talking about?"

"The Air Nomads ..."

"Oh Aang ..." Katara's voice was small, but he could detect a certain relief that he knew she must feel from knowing that it was an old memory that was haunting him so. But he felt no relief.

"He killed them," he managed.

"Who-"

"Tonrar, he killed them all."

She pulled away from him, her expression intense.

"No, Aang, the Fire Nation killed your people."

He knew that, of course he knew that. But his gaze was drawn towards the Temple dorms, where he knew Sokka, Suki, and Toph were all sleeping, and he felt the blood drain from his face.

"Get them out," he cried, jumping to his feet. "Katara, wake them up and get them out!"


	10. Altogether New Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mature content and hella angst

Aang stood at the foot of the large central tower that had once been his safe place many many years ago. He stood looking at the once-graceful and beautiful white stone now standing scorched and defiant and anything but comforting, whilst around him confused voices and tired yawns filled the air.

"So, what was the big rush about, Katara?" Sokka asked, the heal of his hand kneading one of his eyes. "Why'd we have to wake up?"

Aang heard him clearly, even over the buzzing in his head, but he felt so embarrassed at his over-reaction that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to look around. The nightmare of last night had confused him and frightened him so much that he truly had believed that Tonrar and flames would burst through the windows of this great tower any second and swallow his friends up with it, but of course nothing of the sort had happened. Katara had ran into the tower, Aang frozen at the bottom and unable to move, before their friends had followed her out, some alarmed and others simply too tired to be. He could feel Katara looking at him, and he was sure that she knew the thoughts running through his head, because she made no attempt to press him for answers.

"I think it was just a false alarm this time," Katara said at long last, and he knew she was looking at her brother now. "But next time it might not be, I think we should all stay out of that tower for now."

"Whadya mean?" Toph asked, her thick hair standing on end.

Katara hesitated, he felt her eyes straying towards him again and he swallowed.

"It's my fault," he said quietly. "I just over-reacted to something."

"To what?" Suki stepped forward, leaning sideways to look into his face, which he was sure was burning beetroot.

"I had a ... nightmare, ok?" He grumbled, rubbing his arm.

"Well, what happened?"

Aang was taken back to hear Sokka's voice so serious, no sign of a tease or scoff, and he was able to look round at his friends. He saw that Toph, too, had a crease to her brow as she listened intently.

"Well," he shifted for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "I dreamed that there were people trapped up there, dying, but it wasn't the Fire Nation up there with them, it was Tonrar."

"You know Tonrar didn't kill the Air Nomads though, right?" Toph asked.

"Of course I know that," Aang sighed. "But, when I woke up, it still felt so real and I worried that maybe ... maybe it was you trapped up there, not the Air Nomads."

A silence followed his heavy statement. No one looked the least bit amused, there was no joke cracked to ease the air, to tell Aang that he was being ridiculous, just silence and frowns. Sokka exchanged a meaningful glance with Suki, before his shoulders drooped slight and he turned to look Aang in the eye.

"Look, I don't know how much your nightmare meant, Aang, but I think we've all sort of been waiting for something like this to happen."

"Sokka-" Katara started uncomfortable, but her brother cut across her.

"We've been trying to keep your mind off Tonrar, just so you could get a little better, but whoever he is he's not going to just let us all sit here playing airball. We all know what's going to need to be done, and we should get ready for it."

"What needs to be done?" It was Aang's turn to frown now. "Look, I know you guys have all been talking about this behind my back, but it sounds like you've made plans, like you know how you're going to deal with Tonrar."

"We _have_ made a plan," Sokka replied, unabashed. "We've been preparing, and we all agreed that you wouldn't play any part in it."

"Sokka-"

"We _all_ agreed," Sokka interrupted firmly, causing Katara to look away. Aang, in truth, could not quite believe what he was hearing. He looked between his friends, hoping that someone would offer up an explanation or tell him that, of course, Sokka was just getting carried away. But Suki and Katara wouldn't look him in the eye, and Toph remained silent.

"So, let me get this straight," he began, trying to keep his voice level. "You have all made a plan on how to deal with Tonrar, not only a spirit but a spirit that you know nothing about, and you plan to take care of this spirit without my help?"

"Aang," Katara took a deep breath. "You know full well what Tonrar can do, what he can do to you. When he finally comes here, and he will, he will take control of you and he will use you. I wish it wasn't so, sweetie, I really do, but you have to be hidden and you have to trust that we can handle this."

"Katara this isn't about trust," Aang replied, his hands raising into the air. "I'm the Avatar, the bridge between the worlds, this is my job! I can't let you all put yourself in danger like this-"

"And it's _our_ job to protect the Avatar," Suki said firmly, taking a step forward. "Surely you've realised that by now? If the spirits chose you to protect this world, then the spirits also chose us to protect you. So let us protect you. Let us try and defeat this guy."

He had no idea what to say. Suki looked at him with eyes blazing with confidence, Sokka watched him, not with disdain, but like a warrior bearing his arms in offering, and Katara's eyes were a silent plea for him to understand and to trust. And, in spite of himself, he found himself starting to understand. He trusted those brave faces around him, the faces of his family.

"Ok," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "But I need to know what this plan is. I need to know every single stage, and I need you to listen to me if I say it's too dangerous."

For a moment, Sokka seemed to hesitate, before he relented and nodded. "Agreed."

"I'd just like it put on the record that I'm not happy with any of this," Aang grumbled.

"Oh, don't worry Twinkletoes we are all well aware," replied Toph, speaking for the first time before stretching her arms into the air. "Now if that's everything can we please go back to bed?"

"Ok, but I think we should sleep out here for the rest of the night," Katara said. Then, she looked over at Aang. "You're going to have plenty of stuff to do as well, Aang. I think you need to go up there." She pointed to the top of the tower. "I think it's important that you get past this."

Aand didn't say a word, but in a sense his silence and the somewhat pained way he glanced back at his own dorm was enough of an answer for all of them.

"Ok, well, let's all try and get some more sleep, and we can go through the plan in the morning."

Aang had struggled to fall back to sleep the night before, even though Katara had somewhat defiantly slept beside him despite Sokka's low grumbles over the matter, but it seemed at some point whilst tossing and turning on the hard stone floor he had shut his eyes and next opened them to find himself snuggled up tight to Katara, his arm wrapped around her waist and his face buried in her hair. Groggily he opened his eyes, taking a moment to look around the rest of the camp. The heavy snores from Sokka and Toph's direction and the blanket pulled right over Suki's head told him that he was the first to wake. He looked across to Katara, who lay sprawled beside him, mouth slightly ajar and thick hair spread out around them, and despite the dull ache in his head reminding him of the events of the night before, he was unable to stop a small smile breaking his lips. If only Katara could see how adorable she was when she slept.

The sun was already quite high in the sky, and he suspected that they had all overslept by quite some margin, even Appa and Momo who had seemed indifferent to the drama that had unfolded last night, and as much as he wanted to let everyone sleep whilst he sneaked away to attempt once more to meditate, he didn't think that Katara would be too happy. So, with a small sigh, he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, softly whispering her name. She stirred, blinking sleepily back at him, before a smile brightened her face.

"Morning," she said, reaching out and pulling his face down to hers. It was almost as if her brother had sensed the oogies about to occur, because a loud yawn interrupted their kiss and, rolling his eyes, Aang pecked Katara on the nose and sat up.

"Morning sleepy head," Katara said, also now sat up, and searching among the packs to her left.

"Wow, we really over slept," Sokka commented, as he gently shook Suki, who groaned irritably as she poked her head out from under her blanket. "Oy, Toph, wakey wakey!"

"You wakey wakey me again, Snoozles, and your legs will go breaky breaky," the earthbender growled from her own blanket.

A little later the group sat, their stomachs full of breakfast with the exception of a nauseous Aang, and an awkward air about them as they all wondered who was going to broach the subject of Tonrar yet not wanting to be the ones to speak about it themselves. Aang was in no mood to speak on the subject, not least of all because he hoped that maybe they would all decide that taking on Tonrar without him would be a mistake without any nudging from him, but inevitably Sokka brushed the crumbs from the seat of his trousers, and they all looked at him intently.

"So ... the plan." Sokka looked across at Aang, clapping his hands together as if he were tying to gather the confidence to continue. Aang couldn't help but feel even more dubious now that Sokka was obviously uncomfortable about telling him the details ...

"Just pull off the leach, Sokka," Toph said. "It'll be less painful for everyone if you just out with it."

"It's going to be painful?" Aang asked, he looked over at Katara expecting her to roll her eyes at Toph's exaggeration, but she averted her gaze from his.

"Ok, the plan," Sokka breathed. "Well, the plan is to ... well, it's to wait right here."

Aang blinked. "That's it?"

"Not quite," Suki interrupted, raising an eyebrow over at Sokka, who cleared his throat.

"Ok, everyone hush up," he snapped, "you know I'm no good at public speaking." He cleared his throat again. "But yes, our plan is to wait right here for Tonrar to come to us. We know he knows where we are, and we know that he's not going to stay away forever, so I say in that regard we have an advantage. We know the terrain, we can build up a pretty good defense outside of the statue room, and it'll be a good place for Aang to hide to without Tonrar being able to spot him."  
"I don't think he really needs to be able to see me to know I'm there."

"No, but we're working on the assumption that he does need to be pretty close to you to be able to push you into the Avatar State. All we know is that the only times he's done that is when he's been able to see you."

"Sokka has got a fair point," Suki said. " We could be totally wrong about that, but it is all we've got to work with right now." Aang grunted.

"I say that we all train our butts off until baldy turns up," Sokka continued. "Hopefully we'll have enough of an advantage then to swoop in and take him and his shadowy spirit guys out."  
"You make it sounds so easy," Aang sighed.

"We know it's not going to be," Sokka said reproachfully. "But we have got the up on the guy at this point, so I plan to use that. Further more, we have a nice juicy bait that Tonrar will be too distracted looking for to even notice us hiding in wait!"

"Let's stop referring to Aang as bait, Sokka," Katara said with a frown.

"Well if it looks like a squirrel-duck and it quacks like a squirrel-duck, it's a squirrel-duck," Sokka said with a shrug, whilst his sister scowled at him. "So, my plan is this ... Aang, you stay up in the statue room. You've got to stay hidden, but we also need you to be a lookout for the final part of the plan. You cannot be seen before that point, you understand?"

"Yes, Sokka, I understand the concept of not being seen." Sokka ignored him.

"I need some more time to look at the terrain outside the statue room, another day maybe, before I can finalize the formations, but the idea itself is simple. We'll need to have three of us confronting Tonrar and the shadow spirits directly, take all of his attention upon us, and move him further away from the edge of the temple, before one of us sneaks up behind Tonrar and takes him out."

"Take him out?" Aang felt himself pale. "Sokka the guy's a spirit, possibly a very ancient one, how exactly do you plan to take him out?"

"Well, Suki did offer to be the one to do it," Sokka continued, casting his girlfriend a look of admiration, "but I think it's better that we had a bender do it. Katara has already said that he was weak against her bad ass ice bending, he didn't know how to counter-act that, but we have no idea what would happen if Suki tried to take him on hand-to-hand."

Aang looked over at Katara, the idea of her taking anyone out leaving him feeling panicked and sick to his stomach.

"Katara you can't," he said simply. "I don't know what you're expecting to happen here but Tonrar is a spirit."

"Didn't Zhao kill the moon spirit?" Katara asked pointedly, crossing her arms and seeming not to notice the way his entire body seemed to flinch at the k-word. "He didn't seem to struggle with that."

"Katara, it's not the same ..."

"How? We know that the moon spirit gave up her immortality to live in the mortal world. What if Tonrar has had to do the same so that he can spend so much time on this side?"

"If he has or not doesn't matter because Tonrar isn't a helpless fish!" Aang jumped to his feet, unable to contain his frustration at his friends any longer. He saw Sokka glower at him, but found he had little time to cater to the warrior, instead sighing and putting his hand to his head. "Guys, look, you agreed that I would have a say in this plan, and here it is ... I don't know anything about this spirit. I haven't been able to contact Roku to ask him, spirits I haven't even been able to ask Koh or ... He may have crossed over during the Solstice and, for all we know, his status as an immortal spirit could very much remain intact. And, another point to consider is that Tonrar wouldn't cross over into this world just to be defeated by ... well ..."

"Defeated why what exactly?" Sokka demanded, glaring at Aang. "By non-benders?"

"By humans!" Aang shook his head. "I don't mean that as a negative to any of you, I know how strong you all are, but I'm not sure that strength matters in a fight with a spirit like Tonrar."

"You can't know that, Aang," Katara said firmly. "We don't know much, but I do know that if that shadow spirit of his hadn't grabbed me that night I could have killed Tonrar where he stood."

Aang's breath caught in his throat, alarmed at her words. "Katara-"

"No, don't give me that tone, Aang," she interrupted. "I could have done. Further more, Tonrar fled when we came to your rescue back at the edge of the Earth Kingdom. Maybe he knows he's weak against humans. We don't have a spirit that he can control."

Aang swallowed. She was right, it did seem that, so far, Tonrar was not able to control anyone but him. Maybe Tonrar really was only a huge threat if he had him at his control. But those spirits he had with him could bend, and he was certain that they could and would kill if need be.

"Human or no, we're sticking with the plan," Sokka said firmly. "Me, Suki, and Toph will keep those spirits around him busy, keep Tonrar's attention on us, and Katara goes for the finishing blow."

"Finishing blow?" Aang said weakly, dropping back to his haunches. "Are you guys seriously thinking about killing him?"

"Well, I suppose we could always ask him nicely to stop," Toph said, putting her hand to her chin and cocking her head to the side. "I mean, that's always worked in the past, right?"

"Toph ..." Aang growled.

"Of course we're going to kill him!" Sokka exclaimed. "What else are we supposed to do with him? As soon as he gets anywhere near you he'll just use his creepy psycho powers on you and we're roasted seal met. We don't have your Avatar powers, Aang, and as much as we don't know about Tonrar we know that there's no way we could stand against full on glowy Avatar mode."

Aang shook his head. He felt sick, frustrated. "Do you have any idea what the consequences are for killing a spirit?" He urged. "Are you all forgetting what the ocean spirit did to Zhao?"

"Who says there would be any consequences like that," Suki replied. "From what you guys have told me the moon and ocean spirit were connected, the ocean spirit was taking his revenge."

Aang sat in silence, head spinning. They had no idea what could lay ahead of them, _he_ had no idea what lay ahead of them. He needed to speak to Roku, hell even Koh, before his friends got themselves killed for his sake.

"Right, so the plan is we attack, Katara strikes, and Aang stays out of the way and tries not to go into the Avatar State," Toph said, as if she were indifferent to Aang's internal struggles, and waving a hand dismissively. "How strong are these spirits, Twinkletoes, the ones that hang around Tonrar?"

"Strong enough that Zuko's guard couldn't hold them back," Aang muttered. "They seem to all work in unison, I couldn't shake even one of them for long."

"Eh, I'm sure we can take 'em," Toph shrugged.

"I hope you're right, Toph." He looked back up at them. "I really don't like this, guys. Not even a little bit. There's so much we don't know, so much that could go wrong ..."

"We don't like it much either," Katara said softly, now leaning forwards and putting a hand on his arm. "But we have to try something. And, you know what, how many times have you asked us to trust you? Perhaps it's time for you to start trusting us."

He looked at her, guilt now filling his gut alongside the doubt and the worry, but her words still struck him. He sighed and nodded.

"Well, we best get over to the statue room and start working on a formation," Sokka said, standing up. "Toph I want you in the centre, I think, as you can cover much more ground with your rock stuff. Me and Suki can flank, and Katara we need to make sure that you're behind him before ... sneak attack!"

"Right, but I won't yell it like you do," Katara scoffed, roughing up Sokka ponytail whilst Suki and Toph laughed. "Everyone finish up and we'll get started. Aang, maybe you should try meditating again?"

He couldn't hide the sliver of shame as she said that, knowing full well that he would have no luck again today, but he nodded none-the-less.

"I'll join you soon," she continued, standing too and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And then we can start thinking about how we're going to deal with that Tower."

He did try to meditate, he gave it the best shot he could, but that horrid walking-through-custard feeling inside his head hadn't lifted and, despite his very best efforts, he could not steady or slow his mind enough to pass into a meditative state. Though he had a feeling he should, he couldn't bring himself to venture over to where his friends were working on the dreaded plan that they had concocted together, perhaps a part of him hoped that if he remained abscent enough they would all just change their minds. Or that Tonrar wouldn't turn up at all. But the folly of that thought made even he laugh, and so he had decided to wander around some of the less triggering parts of his old homeland.

Not far from the central spire of the dorms was a small and overgrown courtyard, and in the center of that courtyard an ivy-covered and dry fountain stood sadly forgotten. He remembered he and his friends stopping to get a drink from the fountain after their training, laughing as one of them splashed water in the faces of the others. He walked further towards the courtyard before his eyes caught sight of a thickly brambled area to his right, certainly this area seemed to be the most affected by nature's course, and he pushed his way a little into the undergrowth before realising that he wasn't going to get much further on foot. This entire area had been where they had grown just a few of their crops. Much of their food they would find by flying out from the temple, but here they had grown corn and some other easier-to-grow crop that coped with the altitude. He remembered that harvest was a time that many of the young airbenders dreaded, it was a chore that they were all expected to take part in, though he had never minded it so much. Being out in the sun, among the kids his age, occasionally sneaking a bite or two from some of the freshly picked sweet corn, it had been a time he had looked forward to. With some sadness he kicked at the rough, sandly soil beneath his feet. With some work perhaps there was a chance that this area could go back to the way it had been, if he owed his people anything it was surely that.

Not long later he was making his slow way back towards the dorms, his feet feeling heavier and heavier with each step as he tried to imagine how he would step through those doors again, and how he would be able to stay in control of his fear and panic when he did. He had not so long ago slipped into the Avatar State unconsciously as he had sped towards the Fire Nation and towards Katara, and that had been even before Tonrar had revealed himself to Aang. Right now, he dread to think what would happen if his Avatar spirit felt threatened, whether he would again become overwhelmed by the Avatar State even without Tonrar around him. As he walked around the shubbery that obscured the temple from the right side of the island, he saw that Katara was already waiting for him, clearly not to be perturbed by his obvious lack of enthusiasm where the dorms were concerned. She looked up as he came closer, a smile on her face, and he heaved a heavy sigh. Whether he was ready or not, it was time to enter the tower.

"Feeling a bit more refreshed?" Katara asked, climbing to her feet and dusting off her skirt.

"A little," Aang lied, trying not to look at the elephant in the room towering right over her. Katara seemed to sense his nerves, however, as she stepped forward and pressed her hand into his.

"We'll take this as slowy as you need to," she said softly. "And I'll be at your side every step of the way. But I really think you have to do this, Aang. I feel like this tower, and the fear you have, is the key to understanding Tonrar's control on your somehow."

Aang nodded, finally looking up at the tower. She wasn't wrong, he had felt that too, even from the beginning. It wasn't so much his fear of seeing what remained of his people that held him back, though that was obviously a big part of it, but his fear of what would happen to him in the state that Tonrar had left him in.

"Let's just start by walking through the doorway," Katara continued, gently pulling him closer to the door. Aang took a couple steps, before he stopped.

"Katara have you ... been up there? To the top?"

She was silent for a moment, eyes searching his face as if trying to decide whether her answer would help him or not. "Yes," she said at last. "I've been up there."

He felt sick to his stomach once more, and felt her hand clench around his.

"Aang, what you're scared of seeing ... would it help if I told you if it was there or not?"

He swallowed, before nodding.

"They're up there," she said quietly. "I don't know how many but ... they're there."

He wasn't entirely sure what he felt at this point. He knew what the answer would have been, no one had come to move the bodies of his fallen friends and teachers after the Fire Nation had left, and he knew that so many of them must have been trapped in here and unable to get away. But, knowing for sure that he was about to see the remains of his old kin was impossible to quantify with any one emotion.

"Look," Katara said, squeezing his hand again. "I know it will be a shock, but you being back here is important. No one has been able to put them all to rest, but we can do that now. Together."

He looked down at her, her eyes wide and concerned yet still having the calming affect on him they always had (when they weren't filling his stomach with butterflies at least) and he was able to find the strength to squeeze her hand in response, and nod. She smiled encouragingly, and he prepared to step into the tower.

The feeling of panic was instant, the walls seemed to fall in on him the second he took a step onto that cold, old stone, and he was so close to running straight back out again. But the soft pressure on his hand as Katara lead him forward kept him grounded, and he shut his eyes, focusing all his attention on her. He knew his breath had quickened, he could practically hear his own heart beating, and images of fire pressing in on him threatened to over come him, but Katara's voice found it's way through.

"Aang, try focusing on what's around you," she said. She took his other hand and pressed it against the cold stone. "What do you feel?"

He felt like he was having a heart attack, he had begun to hyperventilate, but Katara took his other hand and pressed that, too, against the stone.

"Aang, listen to me, what do you feel?"

"S-stone," he managed, still keeping his eyes shut tight.

"Good, and what do you hear?"

"I ... I hear you."

"Ok, and what do you smell?"

"Smell?"

"Focus, what does this place smell like?"

He frowned, momentarily distracted by her odd request, the fire in his minds eye pushing back.

"I dunno ... damp?"

"I'm glad you noticed that as well, it doesn't half smell bad in here ..."

Her voice was light hearted, and he found he was able to open his eyes, his breathing beginning to ease.

"And finally," she said, removing her hands from his, "what do you taste?" She leaned forward, pressing her lips against his, and his heart began hammering at a different pace.

"You," he said, when she had pulled away. She grinned, and despite the sweat dripping down his forehead and the clamminess of his hands, he found he felt remarkably calm once again.

"Feel better?"

"Yes I- how did you do that?"

She smiled somewhat sadly at him. "Well, after my mother died I had a few panic attacks of my own. Gran Gran taught me how to cope with them, just focus on the things that are around you, the things you can identify, it makes everything feel a little less scary."

He looked around the corridor, the spiral stone steps ahead of them leading up to the rooms that coiled around the tower, and though his stomach was still knotting around itself, he found that he was able to take in his old home without that fire burning panic that had crippled him so badly.

"Well, it works," he said quietly. "How were you guys able to sleep here ... it's miserable."

Katara shrugged. "It's not so bad in the rooms."

He was glad to hear that as much, because the foyer of the temple was dark, dank, and cold. Stones had fallen away over time so that a soft trickle of water running down from misty tops of the tower left a small river across the pathway, from which a variety of mossy plants had started to grow. The wooden shelving and beams that had once acted as decoration in the foyer had rotted and crumbled, and scorch marks rose up the lengths of the pale stone walls. Even in this decay, it was easy to see how this room, although modest, had once been so proud a space, and it depressing to see it in such a state.

"Are you ok to go further?"

Aang nodded, and Katara took his hand again and led him towards the staircase that led up towards the dorm rooms.

He remembered it all so well ... racing up the stairs to beat his friends to their rooms, being told off by one of the older monks for air scooting inside, sneaking out of his room at night to practice his bending with his closest class mates. He tried hard to ground himself, to remain focused on where he was and Katara's hand in his and not the painful memories and growing sensations of panic, but it seemed as though the higher they climbed the more vivid the memories became. He knew they were close to his old room. There were scratches in the walls, no doubt from Fire Nation weapons, and his stomach jolted uncomfortably as his fingers brushed against a missing stone in the curved wall. A missing stone that he had brushed his hand over hundreds of times in his past as he had made his way to his room. Perhaps at another time he would have been excited to relive those memories, but as they stepped past the room where he could see that Katara and the others had set up camp, and walked just a couple doors more, the colour drained from his face and a wailing seemed to come from inside of his head.

His door had been kicked in at some point, no doubt during the Fire Nation attack. The frame of the door was splattered with something dark and sickening, and he knew that it was blood. Instead of the panic he had been feeling before, however, a new and much more violent feeling came over him, an anger bubbling in his stomach that he recognized from the first time Tonrar had pushed him into the Avatar State. Desperately he gripped Katara's hand, fighting against that anger inside of him. Tentatively, Katara looked up at him, eyes full of concern.

"Is this your room?"

He couldn't even manage a nod as he looked inside of the small, comforting space that he had once called home. Aang had never had many possessions, it wasn't in the nature of an Air Nomad, but he had had quite a selection of books that, instead of sitting neatly on the bookshelf against the wall, lay torn and trampled across the floor. A painting that he had once made with Gyatso's help was shred and burned, hanging by just one corner from the wall, which in itself was covered in scorch marks. The ceiling, too, was black where it had once been white, and whilst he was certain that no one but the monks had known his identity as the Avatar, it still seemed as though the Fire Nation army had spent a great deal of time destroying his room. The rage inside him only grew at that thought, and he had no choice but to stumble his way back out of the room, gasping for air.

"Aang-"

Had they known? Had they? Did every other room look this way or did they kill everyone else here just searching for him? He had to know, and he pushed his way back up the staircase, mind racing, hands grabbing the stone either side of him as his legs seemed to shake beneath him. He could hear Katara calling to him, sounding panicked, but he couldn't stop. He didn't stop. Not until the first of his people came into view, nothing left but the bone on the stone floor and the wooden pendant that hung around the neck, and his world seemed to come crashing down around him.

If he had managed any breakfast that morning he was sure he would have been sick. Instead, he felt so light headed he could faint, his anger ebbing in favour of shock. His fingers dug into the stone walls, and his legs buckled. Katara was quickly at his side, dropping to her knees and putting her hands on his arm, telling him that it was ok, but he could hardly hear her. The longer he looked up the staircase the more bodies he could see, with nothing to tell them apart from one another aside from the patterns on the wooden pendants lying across the floor. It had been over one hundred yeas, in that time even the rich cotton robes his people had worn had rotted away, with moss and vine taking their place and snaking across the bone. But the scorch marks had survived. The groves in the walls from spears and swords remained. Holes in the rock above from a battle between air and fire was the only evidence that his people had been able to put up a fight. A fight that they had all lost. He had left them to this, to suffocate and burn, fire pressing in on them on all sides. He shut his eyes tight, unable to stop the images of fire surrounding him, choking him. He stood up, almost falling backwards down the stairs, and ran. Katara grabbed him before he could tumble down the stone steps, pulling him into the doorway of his room, her hands on his arms forcing him to face her.

"Sweetie, I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry ..."

"I left them to this," Aang choked, his pain to great even for tears. "I ran away and left them to ... this."

"Sweetie, no, we've been through this. Things happen for a reason, you couldn't have stopped this from happening even if you had stayed-"

His eyes wandered over his room, as if desperate to find some distraction whilst in his heart he knew that he didn't deserve one. The burned walls, his shredded belongings. It was then that his eyes roamed over his bed and he saw, with a jolt, a small mound wrapped in a thick linen that he had missed the first time. Swallowing he walked past Katara, reaching over with shaking hands to pick up the parcel. As he did, the linen unravelled, and onto his bed rolled four items so painfully familiar to him. A turtle. A pull-string propeller. A monkey. And a hand drum.

"What are they?" Katara whispered, coming up beside him.

"They were my favourite toys when I was younger," he managed, hands shaking as he reached for the propeller, just as he had the last time these toys had been presented to him. "It's ... it's how they knew I was the Avatar." He looked at it, and it was as though any of the walls he had propped up inside of his head to fight off all the rage, and anger, and pain that was threatening to overcome him just fell away. The propeller dropped back onto his bed, and he turned his back to it, taking in the rest of the room, the blood on the floors, the scorch marks in the ceiling, his possessions lying forgotten on the floor.

"I left them to this," he repeated in a whisper. The pain grew, and he let it wash over him, punishing for what he had done to his Nation. "I killed them. It was as good as me."

"No!" Katara yelled, her own eyes blazing now as she threw herself in front of him. "You didn't kill them, this wasn't your fault. If you had stayed you would have died!"

"Then I should have died!" All of his rage and fury, the pain and confusion and fear that he had been feeling since Tonrar first infiltrated and violated his mind erupted, he raised his hands into fists and his eyes and tattoo's began to glow.

"Aang, stop!"

He turned to her, and all of his emotions gave way until he was nothing but hatred and anger, unable even to recognise the woman standing before him. She back away as he began to snarl, raising his arms towards her as fire enveloped them. But, just as he was about to strike, she ran towards him, throwing her arms around him and crashing her lips against his. At first he fought, snarling and pulling his face away from hers, but she grabbed the back of his head and pulled him closer, kissing him as deeply as she dared. He felt the fire around them fade, his rage begin to subside and his hatred gave way to all of the grief that he felt. The immeasurable amount of it now being poured into their kiss. He opened his eyes, and she looked back at him, fearful yet defiant, and tears began to fall down his cheeks.

"Katara-"

She didn't give him a chance to explain, to apologise, and she pushed herself onto him again, kissing him with a vehemence that she had never done before. In his grief, his body still humming from the power of the Avatar State, he felt his need for her grow beyond anything it had done before, so desperate to be as close to the woman who had saved him over and over again. His hands ran down her body to her thighs, pulling her up so that her legs wrapped around his waist and their faces could be level to one anothers. He tasted salt, opening his eyes to see that tears were running down her cheeks too, but even as he pulled away she pulled him back, her need for him every bit as strong. Their kisses became ever more desperate as her hands found the fabric that tied his robe around him, pulling it lose before eventually trying to pull the robe over his head. In the effort they unbalanced, falling backwards into his bed, Katara landing on top of him. But despite the precariousness of their positions, they paused in their kissing only so Katara could finally lift the robes over his head and onto the floor. His mind was numb and tired, body still frazzled, and it seemed as though his hands were working of their own accord, fingers tracing down her side onto her hips, before gently pulling her dress up round to her waist. Her hands splayed out either side of his head as she continued to kiss him and, as a small whimper broke her lips, he found himself desperate to be closer, to be pressed as closely to her as he could. He pushed himself up, so that she sat on his lap, and one of his hands passed from her now bare waist to the back of her head, fingers curling into thick hair, before he felt teeth pressing gently against his lower lip.

For two people to have been in love for as long as they had, who had somehow managed to content themselves with kisses for their early teen years, who had slept side by side with hands only wandering on the briefest of occasions, who had both seemed to be waiting for this unspoken agreement between the two of them to remain innocent to be broken by the other, this sudden emotional and physical out-pouring of their affections was both overwhelming and terrifying. The pressure of her teeth on his lips ignited his desire, if possible, even brighter and he found himself needing to touch and kiss every inch of that chocolate skin that he could reach. He broke from her lips, his head ducking so that he could kiss her jawline, tongue and lips dancing their way to her neck and the soft space just below her ear. Her light whimper became a moan that left his entire body a tremble, and he gasped. As he did so, his eyes opened, and his destroyed room came back into view, the full filthy truth of it hitting him straight in the face, and the thrilling fear of touching her mingled with the fear of his surroundings and the events of the past. Katara sensed the change, his body going rigid and the sharp intake of breath. Her delicate hand rose to his face, his pained grey eyes meeting her intense blue ones.

"I don't know if I can- here-" His awareness of where their affections were leading, and the fact that it would be happening in a place as painful as this would have horrified him if it wasn't for the way she then looked back at him. Her face calm, her eyes heavy yet still blazing and bright with an understanding that was still beyond him, her aura silent and focused.

"Bad things happened here," she said, her voice soft as silk. "But here is not a bad place. There was life here once, and there will be life here again. Your life, and mine. We'll create it together."

For two people to have been in love for as long as they had ... who had perhaps come into this world just so that they could find another, their union was something that no war, no pain, and no terror could prevent. He looked into her eyes, deep and wild and unchanging, and saw with such stunning clarity the future that lay ahead. There were no bodies, no spirits, but there was the sound of a child laughing, a woman singing, and a baby cooing. The terrifying and overwhelming conflicts seemed to wash away, and now he kissed her not with that desperate, clawing desire, but with unwavering commitment to what this moment meant, and what it would be the start of. Both his hands sunk into her hair, parted mouths pressing together, and Katara's hands ran across his chest and down to his stomach and to the sash on his trousers. In unison they removed one anothers clothes, Aang pulled her dress over her head, both raising to their knees to remove what was left. Tentative hands roamed across their bodies, and for the rest of his life he would remember the exact way the light from the window beside them had played across her naked body, the way that, despite being more vulnerable than they had perhaps every been, neither of them had ever felt safer.

He placed a hand behind her back, pulling her close and laying her on the bed beneath him, and the most sensitive parts of their bodies had touched for the first time. He couldn't help it, he moaned into her neck, and she wrapped her legs around him pulling his hips close as their bodies connected. They both gasped at the new feelings that ran between them like electricity, a feeling more spiritual than soaring through the air or bending the waves under the full moon, a feeling that would be unrivaled for the rest of their lives to come. The pair rocked together, moaning into each others necks, kissing every inch of flesh they could reach, their tentative pace increasing as Aang enjoyed every sensation, every little noise that she made, the feel of her soft skin beneath him and the sight of her hair spread out like water beneath them, the horrors of before now lost. He found that he wanted nothing more in that moment than to make her happier than he ever had, and he slowed his pace, his hand falling to the small of her back again as he raised her to him, his strokes now more deliberate, deep, as he looked into her eyes, wide with wonder. Her legs wrapped tighter around his waist, and a whimper broke her lips before she locked them with his. The sound ushered him to rock faster, and the whimpers became moans as she took her mouth from his and buried her face into his neck, fingers digging into his back. He felt her entire body tighten around him, and she cried his name into his throat, and in that instant he felt ecstasy and warmth and love that he had never felt in his life, hastily thrusting his own mouth into her hair to muffle the sound of his own cries before collapsing on top of her, the pair gasping and clutching one another as if their very lives depended on it.

For some moments they lay there, breathing heavily, looking into one anothers eyes, almost as if neither of them could quite believe what had just happened. Her eyes seemed to sparkle and dance before a soft smile played across her lips and he found himself unable to look away from the beautiful woman beneath him.

"You know," he said, "I don't think we can really do this each time you have to take me out of the Avatar State."

Her smile widened as she began to laugh, and the infectious sight spurred him into laughter a second later, the delightful sound filling that lifeless room with joy once again. For a good minute the pair laughed, before with kisses filled with such tenderness that could only come after a couple shared such moments together quitened them to chuckles and giggles as Aang rolled of to the side, adjusting himself so that he could prop his head up with one elbow and look down at her.

"Perhaps we'll just assess the situation as it comes," Katara said, still smirking.

"Well, I vote we just stay here," Aang continued, reaching forward and kissing the tip of her nose. "No spirits, no Avatar duties ... no clothes," he added, his eyes flickering down to her still naked body lying all too perfectly on the bed. Katara laughed again, her finger reaching out to his chin and pulling his face up to face her again.

"I do like the sound of that ..." She shifted herself closer to him, her nose almost touching his. "No meetings, or deadlines-"

"Katara! Where the hell are you?!"

"And no brother's," Aang and Katara said together, both flinching as the sound of Sokka's voice came in through the window.

"Katara!" The pair lay frozen for a moment, listening intently for the sound of feet on the staircase outside, but to their fortune they could not hear any. Tentatively Aang leaned over her to the window, peaking his head out over the side to see the young warrior, Suki, and Toph all standing in the courtyard outside, all looking up to the tower. Quickly he ducked his head back down.

"We, uh, probably ought to get dressed. He's brought the whole damn army."

"That's probably best!" Katara agreed, sitting up hastily and jumping from the bed. In spite of the urgency and possible castration that may come from Sokka finding them here, he found himself transfixed on the waterbender as she stood and grabbed their clothes from the floor, finding it suddenly hard to even swallow. She looked round, and blushed deeply, before throwing his robe at him. "Get dressed!"

He scrambled up, throwing on his clothes and trying his best not to watch as Katara put on hers. He _was_ gentleman, wasn't he?

"How does my hair look?" Katara asked, patting the tangled mess down as best as she could before pulling the whole lot up into a ponytail.

"Looks fine, he won't know. How's mine?" He added with concern, rubbing his bald head.

"Oh shut up, airhead," she said, giggling and throwing his sash over his head. They head Sokka calling again, this time his voice sounding panicked, and realised that he was stood in the entrance hall below. The pair rushed out, Aang pausing just long enough to grab the bundle of toys that had fallen to the floor sometimes before. They had barely made it out of his room before they found themselves face to face with a wide eyed Sokka, who stood with his sword brandished.

"Oh thank the spirits!" Sokka yelled. "Where were you guys? Why didn't you answer me?"

"Can't hear much up there," Aang said hurriedly.

"What with the windows open?" Sokka replied, exasperated. He grabbed Aang by the shoulder, pulling him close, before, still holding his sword, grabbing his chin and turning his face this way and that.

"Sokka will you be careful!" Katara cried, grabbing the sword from his hand.

"I'm just making sure he's not all ... glowy or anything," Sokka replied, mercifully letting Aang go who put his hand to his now sore jaw. "Spirits, Katara when you didn't answer I thought ..."

Aang and Katara quickly exchanged glances.

"Everything's fine, Sokka," Katara said softly. Sokka eyed them suspiciously for a moment, before dropping his defensive stance. He looked down at the parcel that Aang was holding.

"What's that?" He demanded, pointing at it.

"Just a few things that I need to keep safe," Aang responded. He wrapped the parcel tighter and slipped it into one of the pockets of his robes, and was saved further explanation by Suki appearing behind at his shoulder. She took one look at Aang and Katara, before poking Sokka in the back.

"What happened to giving us the all clear?" She asked, scowling at him. "You trying to give us a heart attack or what?"

"Huh? Oh, Suki, I'm sorry I got distracted ..."

Suki rolled her eyes, turning and walking back down the stairs shaking her head.

"Aww come on, Suki, they're fine! Look!" Sokka followed after her, one hand gesturing back to Aang and Katara who looked over at each other with mixed relief and humor.

"We should follow, before Sokka gets into any more trouble," Katara said, her tone amused. He grinned at her, pulling her into another kiss, and she smiled up at him, their eyes dancing with their new secret.


	11. Maelstrom

When Aang and Katara emerged from the greying stone tower that had been the place of rest of Air Nomads of the past, in more ways than one, it was with hands entwined. They followed Sokka, who was in low conversation with a disgruntled Suki, yet even the promise of his questioning to come, and the darkening courtyard that they walked out onto, could not impact upon their good mood. It was something that Toph, leaning with her back against the wall of the dorm, one foot raised to the stone and hands deep in her pockets, didn't miss.

"I did tell you they'd be fine," the earthbender said, as the group started towards the same spot that they had slept the night before.

"Well, forgive me for wanting to check for myself," Sokka replied, still waving his sword about in exasperation. "We don't all have magic feet!"

"Ok Sokka chill out," Suki sighed, dropping down on the floor, looking exhausted. Aang and Katara, still hand in hand, glanced at one another.

"Everything ok?" Aang asked, taking a seat too.

"Oh yeh, it's fine," Suki replied, leaning back onto her hands. "Just a day with Sokka and his _plans_ and paranoia, so you probably get the jist."

Sokka glowered at her.

"So ... how did it go?" Suki aimed the question at Aang and Katara, looking both curious and uneasy. "Was it ... you know ..."

"Oh I'm sure it went better than you'd think it would," Toph said lazily, sitting beside Aang. "But now we've got that little problem out of the way, I think you'll be a bit more mellow now, huh Twinkletoes?"

Aang looked over at her, not missing the smirk on her face. Katara, too, seemed to get her meaning, as she choked on the water she had just downed.

"Uh ... yeh, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Aang replied, clearing his throat and trying hard to keep his voice indifferent. At that, Toph leaned forward.

"You hear that, Katara? Not as bad as he thought it would be, that's promising, right?"

"Spirits, Toph, be a bit more candid won't you?" Suki scolded, thankfully still oblivious to the real reason Toph was teasing the pair. "Bad as it could have been or not, I'd never seen anything quite like what was up there ..."

"I've never seen anything."

"Toph!"

"What?" Toph crossed her arms across her chest, scowling. "I don't see why we can't _all_ have a bit of fun today, spirits knows I could do with it."

"Today hasn't gone that bad," Sokka grumbled, reaching into their packs and starting to pull the pots and pans for dinner. With some relief, Aang and Katara glanced at one another, but the respite was quickly ended by Sokka asking, "so, did you go into the Avatar State?"

Aang was taken back by the question, he hadn't truly expected any of them to ask as much, certainly not in such a forward manner. But he could tell by the way Sokka kept his attention on the pots, and Suki looked quickly up into the sky, that it was something they were just as awkward about asking as he was about answer. He looked over at Katara, his first instinct to tell them that he hadn't, but she nodded ever so briefly, reaching out and squeezing his hand.

"Yeh."

Sokka dropped the pan he was holding, and even Toph seemed surprised.

"But ... Tonrar isn't here, is he?" Sokka asked, any discomfort he had had previously abandoned.

"I don't think so," Aang replied, feeling his previous euphoria starting to fade.

"So, what, you can't control it any more?"

"He controlled it fine," Katara said, her voice sharp and harsh. "He's not in the Avatar State any more is he? If _you_ were the Avatar and _you_ found your people like that I think you would have gone into the Avatar State too, don't you?"

Sokka balked, looking guilty, but Aang took Katara's hand now.

"Katara, it's ok."

"No, it is not ok!" Katara continued, glaring at Sokka, Suki, and Toph in turn. "I'm tired of everyone treating you like you're ... you're ... a bomb or something waiting to go off. He went into the Avatar State, but he controlled it, and if Aang wants to talk about it, that's fine, but you don't get to ask about what happened in there."

There was no denying that Katara could, at times, be too over-protective, but Aang felt nothing but gratitude towards her in that moment. Sokka rubbed his arm, looking sheepish, and Toph cleared her throat.

"Sorry, Aang," Sokka said, in a low voice.

"Yeh, what he said," Toph added.

"It's ok," Aang replied. "So, uh, how is the plan coming along?"

At that, Sokka brightened, obviously relieved at the change of subject. "Well, we've worked out a good formation for our attack," he said excitedly, grabbing one of the spoons from the pile of discarded pots and pans and rotating it handle first, dragging it along the dusty floor. "And you know what, I really think it could work! Here-" he drew a circle in the dust, "-so this is the statue room, this is where we'll keep ourselves focused from this point on, and where you will be, Aang."

Aang cocked his head to the side, looking down at the shapes in the dust.

"Why the statue room?"

"It's got the best view of the Temple, plus, the layers of pathways and rocks outside of it? They'll give us a perfect opportunity to ambush them."

"It isn't going to be the most comfortable place for us to start setting up camp," Suki added, leaning forwards. "But it'll be the safest for the mean time."

"Exactly. Chances are they will come from the same direction that we did, from the front here-" Sokka drew a line several inches away from the circle. "Assuming, rightly so, that those spirits that Tonrar summons are there as some form of protection, I'm willing to bet my ponytail that they'll move forward first. Toph will be here-" another circle in front of the tower, "-and she'll be the first one to make an attack. Tonrar knows we're all here, but I want him to think that Toph's the only one on lookout and the only one actually protecting you. She'll draw all of their attention, making as much noise as she can. Mostly she'll be defending herself, because we don't really know just how tough these spirits will be to fight." At that, Toph scoffed, but didn't voice any disagreement. "Whilst they're engaged with Toph, Suki and I will come in around from the sides-" he drew two curves either side of the formation. "Hopefully we'll surprise them, and we can take out some of those spirits, I bet they won't be expecting fan and sword!" He grinned triumphantly at that, and Suki rolled her eyes affectionately. "Anyway ... whilst we're busy with that I'm betting Tonrar will be getting real mad. I'm talking starting to order the spirits around and get involved with the fight, and he'll be too distracted to see Katara emerge from her hiding spot here-" he drew one last circle, just behind the second line. "There's a crevice in the rocks, just big enough for Katara to hide in but too small for Tonrar to notice it. And this is where you come in, Aang." Sokka looked at him now, wooden spoon pressed against his chin. "Katara isn't going to be able to see what's going on, so I need you to watch from the statue room and, when Tonrar is distracted enough by what's going on, give her a signal to attack." He paused, rubbing his chin with the spoon. "See, I was thinking maybe a bird call, something discrete, but I don't know if she'll be able to hear it over the fighting ... maybe-"

Aang raised his hand over the head and blasted a small ball of fire into the air that exploded with a sharp bang and crackled as it hit several feet, making the entire group jump.

"Well, ok, that'll do it, then," Sokka said, rubbing his ear. "I guess it'll give us another distraction as well. More noise and fuss we make, the better a chance Katara has of getting to Tonrar unnoticed and delivering the final blow."

Aang looked across at her, reaching over and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Can you do that?" He asked, his tone serious.

"If I have to," she replied, looking back at him steadily. "He isn't human."

"But, if I can thinking of another way ... some other way of stopping him so that you don't have to-"

"That would be appreciated," she said, with a soft smile. He gave her an encouraging smile in return.

"What do we do after?" Aang asked, looking back over at the warrior. "Assuming that the spirits don't stop fighting just because Tonrar has."

"We whoop their butts," Toph said, simply. "I mean, once Tonrar is taken care of you can swoop in all glowy like and do your Avatar thing."

"Exactly," Sokka said, his eyes blazing. "This is going to work, guys. I can feel it."

It was three whole days before Sokka was finally able to put his plan into action. Three days in which the group would practice their formations over and over again until they knew exactly where they would be standing at any given point, until Aang, in spite of himself, started to think that maybe there was a good chance that they'd be able to pull this off. There was certainly no doubting Sokka's determination, and his natural talent for stragedy had only grown more and more defined in the years after the Hundred Year War, and although they were likely to be vastly out numbered, Sokka's plan put a lot of focus in confusing their enemy as much as they could. Toph, as was to be expected, was a one woman army in herself, though there was perhaps a little less control and more rage in her earthbending, and Aang had begin to wonder again what it was that could have happened between her and Satoru.

For Katara, those three days were spent mostly trying to ready herself for what she was expected to do when her showdown with Tonrar began. She had meant it when she had told the group that she would do what she had to do, and she had repeated to herself over and over when sat in that crevice during practices that the spirit was not human ... she visualized Aang, eyes glowing, in rage and fury and pain, reminding herself that Tonrar was responsible for that. And she would tell herself, once again, that Tonrar was not human. But, no matter how fervently she insisted that she was capable, the more they practiced the more nauseous she felt.

It was on the second day that Katara had excused herself from practice, needing to get some space and a chance to clear her head. Aang had offered to come with her, she was of no doubt that he knew what was bothering her, but she had insisted that she needed a little time to herself, something that she hoped he would understand. Her mindless wanderings as her thoughts raced had lead her straight back to the large central dormitory, in which sat both horrors and memories of dreams. For a time she had simply stood outside of it, looking up, but with a deep breath she had stilled herself before venturing inside.

Being inside of the dorm brought so many mixed thoughts and feelings that she could very well understand why Aang had found it so difficult to enter the place. After all, this was not a bad place. These walls, the people that had lived inside of them, had been helped to make Aang into the man that he was, the optimistic, kind, and passionate one that was slowly coming back to her the longer Tonrar remained absent. These walls held the sacred memories of the first time they had made love, they had been a safe place for her brother, and friends. But these walls also had the memories of the horrors that had taken place over one hundred years back physically scratched into them, and towards the very top the bodies of those who had also found safety here lay. Though Aang had not spoken of what lay at the top of the tower, and Katara had not pressed about the matter, she knew that, perhaps once Tonrar had been taken care of, he would put the remains of his kin at last to rest, but for the time being there was perhaps more than she could learn from them.

She had made her way to the top, using her ice bending to create a walkway over Air Nomad remains so as not to disturb what lay there, and finally she had come to the room that crowned the tower. She presumed, pushing rotting door aside, that whoever had slept in this room had to have been very important among the Air Nomads of the Southern Temple. But where you would find much exuberance in the rooms of the leader of the other three nations, this room lacked anything that could have been classed as personal. This place had been turned over. There were no scorch marks, and a sickening sensation in her stomach told her that the only reason that could have been was if, by that point, there had been no one left to burn, but someone had still searched through the room. The bed was overturned, the desk and its long-dried smashed glass inkwell lay on the ground. Papers on the wall had been torn, and books with molding spines littered the floor. Her first thought had been that perhaps the Fire Nation soldiers had been searching for something, but as she picked up the books, looking at their covers, she came across something that she was sure would not have been left behind if that were the case.

This book was ancient, by all accounts it was amazing that any of it hard survived, but the bamboo sheets and cover had held up well against the test of time. Painted along the front cover was one single word:

_Census_

Her heart leaped as she read that one word, her thoughts immediately starting to race. If this book was, as its title suggested, a list of of all of the Air Nomads that have lived before and during Aang's time, then it was nothing short of a true treasure. Heart still beating fast, she picked up the heavy book, turning it this way and that to inspect the damage. Some of the bindings between the bamboo had snapped and fallen away, and it was covered in dust, but it seemed remarkably intact for something that had been lying on the stone floor of this wet building for over one hundred years. She carried the book over towards the window, which overlooked the right half of the mile high island, and perched herself on the stone partition. Carefully she blew and brushed the dust from the cover and spine, before she opened it to the very last page. For a moment, she was filled with disappointment when she saw but blank pages, but she flicked back some more and came across a list of names and dates.

_Ta Ma, Year of Dragon, 14 Shi Yi Yue 9835, of Lan and Zhang Fa, West_

"The year 9835," Katara whispered, her finger pressed on the date. "The year the Fire Nation would have attacked ..."

Spurred by her rising excitement at her discovery, Katara began to flick back through the pages. The census listed not only the Air Nomads that had been both in the Southern Air Temple, but those who had been born in the three others as well. Her eyes skimmed over each of the names and dates, surprised at quite how many Air Nomad children had been born in the years between Aang's birth and the end of the Air Nation. She had known, of course, that there must have been many of them, but somehow it seems strange to imagine that there had ever been quite so many airbenders soaring through the skies at one point in time ... at last, her finger stopped upon a name that was familiar to her, and she made a sharp intake of breath.

_Aang, Year of Dragon, 10 Jiu Yue 9823, of Tenzin and Nying, South_

She reread the entry several times, mouthing the names of Aang's parents to herself as she did. It was something she had often wondered about, but something that Aang had never, in the entire time she'd known him, mentioned. He had been raised by Gyatso in the Southern Air Temple, and as weird as it seemed to her and her culture, being so family-orientated, she supposed that it was just normal for Aang to not have known his biological parents. But, here they were, written in ink almost one hundred and seventeen years ago. Her curiosity spiked as she looked down at those names, and she began to look back further, searching back, however she soon realised that Tenzin had obviously been a popular name among the Air Nomad's, and Nying appeared more than a few times. It was difficult for her to work out which of those Tenzin's and Nying's born between the twenty and forty years previous to Aang's birth were his parents, and as such to work out how far back Aang's family went.

The further back she looked, she began to see second dates scribbled below the names, dates she suspected were their deaths, and her excitement became melancholy as she realised again that even those names without dates were lost forever. She continued to flick through, her thoughts now drifting towards Aang himself. Was this something that he'd want to see? Would it bring him any happiness to see his history of his people written out on paper, or would the names of his past friends, teachers, parents only bring him more pain? She sighed to herself, she was about two thirds of the way to the beginning now, when she noticed one of the names was written different from the others. No, not written differently ... this name had been crossed out. She squinted, leaning closer and trying to make out what was written under the harsh lines.

_Sansetsu, Year of Dog, 28 Qi Yue 6632, of Fenji and Huangse, North_

There was no date of death entered, the name had simply been crossed out. Curiously she looked back forward in the census, trying to see if perhaps this Sansetsu had fathered children, but his name was never mentioned again. In fact, as far as she could see, the name Sansetsu was never once used again, as if somehow this man had left such a cursed mark in their history that they would not even use the name. What could this Sansetsu have done to have caused so much upset in a culture of people who lived and breathe forgiveness? She wondered if, perhaps, Aang knew of his story ...

It was with that thought that she heard the voice of Sokka coming in through the window. The warrior wasn't letting anyone out of his sight for very long. She closed the book with a sharp snap, hooking it under her arm as she made her way back down to the bottom of the Tower.

Despite the secrets that it perhaps held, Katara did not mention the book to Aang when she met with him and the others for dinner. She had placed it in her pack, under her clothes and delicates, to wait perhaps for when this sorry time with Tonrar passed. But she still couldn't help but wonder, who was Sansetsu?

That night, everyone retired early, after going through yet another quick rerun of the plans and, just as they had done the night before, Aang and Katara had lay beside one another until they were certain everyone else had fallen asleep. That first night, neither of them had been able to sleep, and they had both gone for a walk to try and clear their heads. However, as was the nature of young lovers, it wasn't long before, finding themselves alone and snuggled up close to one another as they walked to keep warm, their minds drifted to things other than just enjoying the scenery. The second and third nights had been no different. They would sneak away, stealing kisses as they walked until reaching a clear patch of soft grass hidden from the view of all around by overgrown vegetation and thick bushes, their affections becoming more intimate as they enjoyed being close to one another, before falling asleep with the moon light shining over them. The sound of the birds would wake them as dawn broke, and the pair would sneak back to the statue room before anyone else awoke before curling up in each others arms once more, waking along with the others and continuing with their training as if nothing had happened. Still, in that time, Katara kept her secret, waiting for the right time to show him.

However, despite the care they took to keep their night time escapades secret, not everyone had been fooled. On the forth morning, as the red dawn broke over the horizon, and hand in hand Aang and Katara had scaled the hill towards their camp, the pair were confronted by Toph. She had seated herself, arms and legs crossed, quite a way from the entrance of the statue room, but directly in the path that they would have to take to get back, and the amusement that the earthbender had initially shown when realising what they had gotten up to in the Tower was long gone, replaced by a disapproving and stern cold glare.

"Oh!" Aang and Katara stopped in their tracks, the coy smiles they had both worn dropping from their faces immediately. "Uh, hi Toph!" Katara said, awkwardly. "You know, where were ju-"

"I know what you were doing," Toph interrupted, waving her hand irritably and getting to her feet. "I know you sneak of at night. I'm not going to lecture you, that is your business. But what is my business is that you're starting to put everyone else at risk."

"Risk?" Aang said, his face blank. "What are you talking about?"

Toph scowled, walking closer to the pair and hissing in a low voice. "What do you mean what am I talking about? Spirits, you find the birds and scorpion bees and become thick as a turkey duck." At that, she poked Aang hard in the forehead. "What I'm talking about, numbskull, is that we're on alert for an attack at any moment! What are we supposed to do, exactly, if Tonrar turns up and you and Sugar Queen aren't here?"

Aang and Katara glanced guiltily at one another.

"Once all this is over you can do whatever the hell you like, but until then you're just going to have to keep your hands to your damn selves." She growled to herself. "Spirits, Prissy Pants, I sound just like you. And let me tell you I hate it."

"Sorry, Toph," Aang replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I guess- well, we just weren't thinking."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Toph grumbled. "Now you better get back to bed before Sokka wakes up and unleashes a world of hell."

She shook her head, before turning back and making her way back to the statue room. Aang and Katara looked sheepishly at each other.

"She is right," Katara said quietly.

Aang sighed, before taking her hand again and following Toph back up the the camp. She had already lay down and turned her back to them by the time they'd entered the large room, and the tiptoed quietly back to their bed rolls, laying down, still holding hands.

"Night again," he whispered, allowing a smile to brighten his still sheepish expression.

"Night again," she replied.

Before long, the pair had fallen asleep, the early hours of dawn morphing gently into morning. At some point during his dreaming, Aang's subconscious had found himself standing, for the second time, on that strange rocky plane where Tonrar had first infiltrated his dreams. He had turned this way and that, eyes searching in the shadows of the jagged rocks, but on this occasion he was entirely alone. A light breeze brushed past him, pulling pitifully at his robes, and he had sat, feeling frustrated and confused by his minds decision to bring him to such a desolate place. Or, perhaps, it wasn't his mind, perhaps the spirits had brought him here, trying to tell him something ... or maybe they were just having a joke on his behalf.

He had sat, taking in the empty and sickening landscape that now surrounded him, looking up to see that icy river of a sky drifted overhead, slow and languid, yet not in the least bit comforting. He would wake soon, of that he was sure, and until then perhaps something about this place could give him a clue as to what the spirits expected of him, and how he was to defeat Tonrar.

At the very thought of the vile spirits name, everything changed and he felt what he had feared yet known was coming to him. Invisible strings pulled at this skin, his stomach began to churn and convulse into knots, his body began to itch. The view of the rocky plane vanished from view as, in the conscious world, he sat bolt upright, eyes suddenly wide as he looked around the dully lit statue room that he had fallen asleep in. The feeling didn't leave, it felt like there were insect crawling under his skin, burrowing their way deeper and deeper into his body and he wasted no time jumping to his feet, his heart beating a tune of panic as he raced towards the doorway, peering out into the low early morning light.

For a time he stood there, breathing heavily, hands clenched around the stone, searching the skies and stones for signs of the spirit that he knew was coming for him. No matter how hard he looked he could not see Tonrar, could not see his spectral spirits, but there was no doubt in his mind that he would be here. And soon. He drew back into the state room, jumping lightly over sleeping bodies until he came to Sokka.

"Wake up," he hissed, kicking the warrior lightly on the shoulder. Sokka started, sitting up and holding his boomerang aloft, before his bleary gaze fell on Aang.

"Whassup?" He mumbled, dropping his weapon.

"He's coming."

Any remaining weariness in Sokka's eyes faded in that instant, and he quickly jumped to action, shaking Suki laying next to him to wake her. By the time Aang had nudged Katara awake, Sokka had already roused Toph, and quickly the five of them stood in the entrance way of the statue room, peering intently out as they, too, tried to spot the incoming spirit and his servants.

"Are you sure, Aang?" Suki asked at length. "I can't see a thing."

"I'm sure," Aang replied, rubbing his arms. "I can feel him. Maybe not yet, but he will be."

"Ok, well that just means we've got time to prepare," Sokka hissed. "We've planned this to a t, we're as ready as we're ever going to be and now we have a head start." He stepped forward, turning his back on the scene outside of the statue room and looking at them all.

"You all know what you have to do," he said. "And you all know where you need to be. Just follow the plan like we've practiced, and we can do this."

The group looked around at one another, before in turn they all nodded.

"Katara, Toph, you know where you've got to go."

The pair nodded again, and got ready to leave, and Aang felt the growing sensation of panic washing over him only increase as Katara grabbed her ready-filled hip flash from beside her bed. He took her hand so that she would look at him.

"Please, be careful out there," he pleaded. "If it gets to bad, just bail, ok?"

She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply and passionately, and it was testament to how worried everyone was that Sokka simply looked away rather than mention the oogies. "I promise," she whispered to him. Before he could say another word she turned, running down the pathway, being careful to keep to the edges, looking above her all of the way. He watcher her go with such an aching in his heart that it took all of his will power not to run after her and bring her back.

Toph too walked past them, her expression stoic and determined, and she too descended down the pathway.

"Aang, remember, stay out of sight, and only give the signal when you're sure Tonrar is distracted by us. Got it?"

Aang nodded. "Good luck."

Sokka and Suki then followed Toph, to find their positions for the ambush. Now alone, with the exception of Appa and Momo now sat and watching from inside the state room, the crawling sensation felt even more unbearable, and his rubbed his arms vigorously. He took several steps back, sitting himself in the shadows, so that he could watch without being seen.

The waiting felt like an age. The sun had gone from just kissing the horizon to burning full and bright above them, and Aang wondered just how long his friends could remain in their positions. For him, the waiting was more than just irritating, the constant itching and dull thudding in his head was making it more and more difficult to concentrate, and he couldn't help but wonder whether it was deliberate. Whether Tonrar was just going to wait them out, or at least sit tight until Aang fell into madness. It didn't help that Aang could not see any of his friends from where he was sat, and though he knew where Katara was crouching, there was no way for him to check that she was ok without potentially blowing the whole plan. He wondered just how long they could all keep this up before one of them called it quits. However, as the sun began to roll on from its highest point, the spirit finally came into view.

At first, Aang couldn't understand what he was seeing. Were it not such a clear day, one could be forgiven for thinking a fog was rolling in the North, but the sky was blue and this fog was dark as night, slowly shifting its shape, tendrils breaking free from the original mass and tapering out into nothing. Yet despite so much of the cloud seeming to dissipate, the size of it remained unchanged, its overbearing form getting closer and closer to the edge of the Temple, seeming more fluid as it did so. Aang had seen many strange things in the spirit world ... spirits that would steal faces, creatures the size of houses and bigger, pools that seemed to be full of a cold gas, yet even the Avatar was not prepared for this sight. Everything about this screamed Spirit World to him, and seeing something so obviously spiritual in this mortal world was more unnerving than he could possible explain. The great black cloud billowed and swell, now over the rocks of the Temple and, at last, seeming to grow smaller. Aang realised, with a lump in his throat, that it had just passed over where Katara was hiding, crouching and vulnerable below.

With one final expansion the black viscous cloud hit the plateau below him, before the gases rose and shrank inwards, forming the tall, thin shape of a man. Then, that darkness morphing to its final form, there stood Tonrar. Immediately Aang felt the pain sear in his skin and stomach, and he was forced to draw himself back further into the shadows, heart racing as he stared intently down at Tonrar's form. The spirit stood, draped in black, his wide mouth pulled back into a serpentine grin, the red tattoo's across his forehead blazing in the midday sun. Tonrar spread his arms wide, as if in greeting, surveying the Temple. No one spoke, no one moved even an inch, yet still Tonrar continued to stand there, most certainly expecting them to come out and face him. The waiting had been part of Tonrar's plan, there was no doubt about that, and perhaps he knew very well that they had lay a trap for him.

At last, Aang saw Toph's figure walk purposefully out into the open between he and Tonrar, her body set resolutely and oozing her somewhat cocky confidence. Tonrar seemed to grin only wider, lowering his arms.

"My my, who are we?" The spirit asked, sounding positively jovial.

"The human that's going to kick your butt," Toph repealed with equal bouyance, before she crouched down and grabbed two large boulder either side of her, throwing them with all her might down at the spirit.

It took less than a second. Tonrar raised her arms once more, more black fluid smoke rising from the very ground around him and forming a wall between himself and Toph. This black smoke morphed into more human shapes and, in unison, these shapes shifted their bodies to bring up a wave of earth into which her boulders smashed. Toph, clearly surprised, took a step back. The wall fell, and two spirit-like and blank faced benders stood ready and waiting, she wasted very little time, however, and was soon on the attack once more. She slammed her foot into the ground, the shock wave causing a wave of earth to rush towards the hooded spirits, who only retaliated with equal vigor, creating a crater in the earth that absorbed her shock wave, before slamming shut once again. Aang watched in disbelief, seeing the hooded benders deflecting her attacks with such ease, whilst Tonrar stood still behind them, grinning derisively. It was perhaps then that he should have acted, to put a stop to the plans that he had known deep down were never going to work. But he kept his faith in his friends, his hands now digging grooves into the stone that he gripped below him.

Toph was not to be perturbed, and she continued to chuck hit after hit at them, changing the height of her attacks, the strength and speed, her bending enough to have defeated any enemy she could have faced before, yet failing to get past the two black hooded spirits that stood between her and her prey. The hooded spirits were yet to make even one attack on her, instead sticking entirely on the defense, perhaps hoping to tire the human bender that they faced. Aang was close to yelling their names in frustration when he saw Suki and Sokka come out at their flanks, launching attacks of their own. Quickly, Aang looked back over at Tonrar, who seemed practically indifferent to the additional forces. Suki and Sokka fought well against the spirit benders and it seemed for one wild moment that perhaps they would be able to push them back, the spirits momentarily unable to keep up with the onslaught that was coming from each side. But then, with a simple wave of his hands, two more smokey figures appeared and with a flash of bright light, and a sting of fear in Aang's chest, two spirit firebenders appeared, and they certainly were not interested in remaining on the defense. He watched as they threw fire blasts at Suki and Sokka, who both had to work hard to avoid getting hit, and he had to bite back his yells yet again. Toph was starting to fall back, the earthbenders now approaching onto her, and that itself was enough to fill any of the group with fear ... there could be no one who could push Toph back. No one.

A cold laugh broke through the air, and Tonrar began to move forward. At first, Aang was tempted to call it all off, to charge in there and do what he could, but Sokka's pleading to stick to the plan came to mind, and he realised that there was never going to be a time that Tonrar was going to be more distracted than this. He raised his shaking fist into the air, ready to give the signal. His heart was beating so loud he was convinced Tonrar would hear it, and he looked down at the battle that none of his friends seemed able to win.

"Katara, I'm sorry ..."

He shot a fireball into the air as planned, and it exploded loudly above him. The laughter below stopped, and Tonrar's head snapped sharply to look in his direction and, in that moment, the hooded spirits stopped fighting too, Tonrar had lost control ... in that moment of distraction he had lost control ... But before Aang could wonder upon this revelation, Katara rose from her hiding place from behind, bending the water from out of her flask, twirling on the spot to give her shot the momentum it needed to reach the spirit. The large ice dagger flew straight and true to its target, Tonrar's attention was still on Aang, there was no way that he could defend! Too late, the spirit realised the trap he had been lured into, perhaps the sound of the dagger slicing through the air causing him to turn on the spot, and he raised his arms. Then, all too quick for any of them to see, one of the hooded spirits seemed to morph in front of Tonrar, taking the dagger for itself with arms spread wide. He heard a strange, high, pained scream, Sokka's disbelieved cry, but it all barely registered. The plan hadn't worked, and now Katara was in danger.

"Appa!" He yelled, already on his feet, "fly round, grab them!" The bison roared in agreement, and as Aang looked back to the battlefield the world seemed to fall apart around him. Tonrar had, in the confusion, moved forward, grabbing Katara by the throat and lifting her straight off the ground. For Aang, there was no time to think of a plan, no time to consider what his proximity to Tonrar might result in, no thought other than to get to her.

_"No, not her. Not yet."_

The words he had heard but could not remember suddenly burned into his mind and he ran and bounded from rock to rock, practically screaming Tonrar's name. The spirit looked around with some satisfaction, but his expression quickly turned to that of alarm as Aang landed heavily in front of him, rocking the earth below them. Tonrar's grip on Katara's throat relaxed, and quick as a flash Aang slammed a foot into the ground, earth puling up like a fist and tightening protectively around Katara's body, before he pulled up another pillar from the ground that hit Tonrar hard in the chest. The spirit flew across the plateu and Aang, teeth gritted against the screaming pain in his body, threw a furious current of air at him, Tonrar's body tumbling like a rag doll to the very edge of the Temple. In the future, he would look back at that moment as the moment he could, perhaps, have put an end to everything, but all he could think and see was Katara, and with another slam of his foot the rock around Katara broke down and she fell to the ground, gasping.

"We leave _now_!" Aang yelled, grabbing her and pulling her bridal style to his chest, turning to tear back to where his three companions had stood fighting. Appa was roaring and landing beside them, but the three of them were too busy watching the scenes between Aang and Tonrar to notice. With an irritated snarl Aang rose the rock from beneath them, throwing them onto the bison's back, before taking a running leap himself and landing in the saddle. The pain increased, and he knew that Tonrar was up and progressing towards him, perhaps with hands outstretched and face roaring. He let Katara down, and wasn't even at Appa's head before he was yelling, "now, Appa, yip yip!"

The bison wasted no time, taking off into the sky with such force that he blew rock and dust into a smoke cloud around them. Aang was quick to the reins, trying hard not to look back behind him, not to make eye contact with the spirit below. But it seemed to make no difference. Pain exploded in his head and chest, and he cried out, dropping the reins.

"It's Tonrar!" He heard Suki screaming. "He's trying to control him!"

"Sokka grab him!"

He heard Katara's cry, but the pain was so much that he was sure that he was screaming himself, his body on fire, and the world below him seeming to fall away. He felt anger, he felt hatred, he felt pain, he felt all of the feelings that he had tried so hard to fight since Tonrar's first assault on his body, and the desire to tear everything around him apart grew. He felt someone grabbing him roughly around the collar, pulling him upwards and backwards. Soft hands grabbed his face, and blue eyes swam into his vision.

"Look at me, Aang," Katara demanded, her hands firmly grabbing the side of his face. But he growled, gripping her wrists as he tried to tear away from her, eyes starting to glow. The last of him that remained forced his eyes to shut tight. "Look at me!" Katara commanded again, her voice loud and clear. "Open your eyes and look at me!" She pulled him closer, her forehead pressing against his, and his eyes opened, still dimly glowing.

"Katara, hurry!"

He glared at the woman in front of him, every inch of him wanting to explode into a ball of fire, killing her and everyone else. But her eyes bored into him, blue into blue, and perhaps with distance or perhaps with her efforts, his breathing became ragged, his growling lessening.

"Look at me, sweetie," came her voice again, far away and musical. "Look at me."

He felt the pain begin to subside.

"He's not following us!"

The hatred now began to ebb, and his ragged breath became gasps, and he was unable to look away from her. His eyes were no longer glowing, his hands no longer fists around her wrists, but he body felt so very broken.

"Stay with me, sweetie ..."

Voices were yelling in the distance, but he couldn't hold on for any longer, his focus drifting, and he fading to black.


	12. The Devil Take You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angry Avatar Aang does some serious damage this time.

Aang swam in and out of a current of consciousness numerous times over the course of the next few days, catching flashes of light, snippets of conversations, hushed whispers and furious shouts, yet making no sense of any of it. Each time he roused into any semblance of awareness, the pain in his body would grow and exhaustion would hit him yet again, and he would pass off into a deep yet fitful sleep. For his friends, these next few days were filled with a deep fear that Aang was growing only sicker, his temperature soaring so high that even Katara was struggling to keep the fever at bay. None of them could truly make sense of what had happened, why Tonrar's attempt to control Aang had made him so dangerously ill, and this not knowing, as well as their humiliating defeat at Tonrar's hands left everyone is a state of numb shock. But all too aware were they of the strength Tonrar seemed to have, not only against Aang, but against them, left them no choice but to travel, feverish Aang in tow, as far away from the Southern Air Temple as they could get.

For ten straight hours they had flown. Not only was Appa struggling with remaining airborne for quite so long, it seemed as though the bison was also feeling Aang's sickness. Soft groans and whines came from his throat, and he started flying lower and lower to the ground, until it became clear that they were no longer afforded the luxury of choosing their next hiding place. Eventually, as they flew back over Earth Kingdom territory, Katara had had no choice but to steer the bison to land at the edge of a wooden copse. It may well have hidden them, but it certainly did not allow them any sort of vantage point, leaving them entirely at the mercy of their foe.

Katara, subdued and sick with worry, had quickly set to work making them something to eat, keen for any means to distract herself. Toph and Suki were quiet too, Toph seated herself on the ground, her feet and hands flush to the earth below her, listening intently, whilst Suki set to work wetting a cloth and placing it on Aang's forehead. But no one seemed as broken as Sokka, who uttered not a single word as they set up camp. The warrior was angry, he was exhausted, and he had been deeply affected by how easily they had been beaten by the spirit. His plan had, after all, almost gotten Katara killed, and had left Aang in a feverish state he may not wake up from any time soon. The warrior sat away from the group, scowling and scratching shapes into the ground with his boomerang, and the girls left him to his own devices, to deal with his loss in his own way.

Late during that first night, Aang had first woken. In excitement they had approached, only for them to realise that he was in the middle of a feverish dreams, tossing this way and that, muttering incoherently. At one point, his tattoo's had begun to glow, and in a panic the team had readied themselves for an onslaught, but he fell back into unconsciousness soon after, his body stilling once more.

For three days they traveled, sleeping by day in the smallest of spaces they could crawl into, and traveling at night in the hopes that they would not be spotted. Katara had spent much of the travel time with a field of glowing water between her hands and Aang, trying her hardest to heal him of whatever it was that was causing him such sickness. But his fever had grown worse. His dreams seemed to only get worse, and even more alarming Appa had taken to sitting close by, uttering a soft yet pained howl. Katara remembered clearly how terrified she had been when she watched Azula shoot lightening into Aang's back, the way he had fallen to the ground, and way she had felt no life in him before she had healed him with the spirit water. She had seen him die. And as she watched the bison howling, seeming to shrink in size, she felt that very same fear again. She was not alone, and on the third day, she had broken the silence that had fallen over the group.

"We need to go to the North Pole."

Sokka and Suki had looked up, but neither had spoken.

"Isn't that a bit too risky?" Toph asked. "We've been watching Aang slip in and out of the Avatar State for days, what if he really does go fully under? What about the people that live there?"

"Then I'll go on my own."

"Katara, how are you going to get there?" Suki asked softly. Katara swallowed hard, she knew the only option available to her, but the very idea broke her heart.

"I'll have to take Appa. I don't want to separate them, believe me it hurts to even say this right now, but you guys need to stay here and look after Aang and I'll go and get the spirit water. It could be the only thing that can save him."

"Katara you should stay here," Suki insisted. "Your healing might be all that's keeping him going, and if he does wake up, he's going to need you more than us."

"But they know me in the North Pole," Katara said fervently. "They won't turn me away if I ask ..."

"You can't leave him," Sokka muttered, speaking for the first time in an entire day. "They know me too. I'll go."

"Sokka, are you sure?" Suki asked, putting a hand on his arm, but he pulled it away.

"Yes, I'm sure. This was my plan, this was my fault. I've got to try and fix it." As Sokka had stood, Toph however had let out a loud groan.

"No, you're going to have to wait," she said, hands pressed to the grass. "There's someone nearby. It could be Tonrar."

"Or it could just be someone out for a walk," Suki suggested, standing also and looking into the trees that surrounded them.

"Do we really want to take that risk?"

Exchanging glances, the other three agreed. Yet again they lifted Aang up onto Appa's saddle, the airbender not even stirring, and were forced to flee.

"If Tonrar is just going to keep following us, how can anyone take Appa?" Suki asked miserably, looking back over their shoulders as they soured away from their camp. "Without Appa Aang's a sitting turtle duck."

No one replied.

However, it seemed that their luck was soon to change. Little did they know Aang, in the middle of his feverish delirium, was already fighting a battle. As he had passed out, his mind had fled straight back to the rocky plateau, the sky above no longer a languid icy river, but a deep smokey purple flashing with electric and rumbling with thunder. Three days to the group, seemed timeless to Aang, who had crouched in the ground, surrounded by jagged teeth, as his body seered with pain. However, this time he was not alone.

A figure with disturbing familiarity sat across from him. The air was hot and humid, stale tasting and suffocating, and the pressure around Aang only intensified the pain spreading and humming over his limbs. But he could not find it in him to move, to try and find shelter from this boiling place, he could only crouch, head low, and away from the gaze of the creature staring at him with dead grey eyes. Aang stared at the stone, his hands wrapped around his shoulders, shaking from what could only be described as pure cold terror. Fear like he had never felt. Fear that left him paralysed. He could hear the creature breathing as it regarded him, like a cat guarding its meal, and though he knew that it would be left ungranted, he prayed to whatever spirit was out there for it to turn away. To stop staring at him. To grow tired and leave. But in his heart he knew that it would not. He was scared to look up, to see those grey eyes.

In time, the creature had begun to stir, growing tired of its ceaseless watching. It had stood, and in spite of himself Aang had glanced up, catching sight of dirty bare feet adorned with a dull blue arrow, and he had instantly pulled in on himself. The creature began to pace, walking in circles around him, back and forth, closer and further away, as if trying to work out the best place to attack. The sound of bare feet on the stone was sickening, the feel of breath on his back terrifying. He began to feel the growing urge to yell, or scream, to just do something, but then those footfalls would start again, and his throat would constrict. The pain and rage and fury that he had felt when Tonrar had first laid attack on him, those bitter emotions that drove him into the Avatar State, seemed to have been replaced entirely by fear and panic. Whilst around him the creature grew more impatient, starting to growl and snarl. It was in front of him again now, walking closer until those feet came back into view and Aang had to shut his eyes tight.

"Look at me."

The voice made everything worse. There was no warmth in that voice, it sounded disgusted, furious, it sounded murderous. It had lost something, but he knew that voice. He knew it too well.

"I SAID LOOK AT ME."

Aang looked up, the rage and anger compelling and overpowering him, his fear so great that he felt as though, if he denied this creature its request, he would die then and there. Aang looked up, and he saw all that he had feared. A man stood in front of him, thin faced, wide eyed, tall and bony. Blue tattoos spread across his naked body, stretching down his arms and legs, and a large arrow visible under the mess of matted black hair.

"No," Aang managed to croak. And back in the mortal world, his group of friends had looked over, seeing him start to stir, moaning and shaking his head back and forth.

"No?"

"You're not me," Aang pleaded, now unable to look away from the perversion of his face. "I'm not you."

"I am the very BEST of you," the creature hissed, kneeling down now and leaning close to Aang. "I am the power, I am the destruction, I am the merciless, and I am the god of both those wretched worlds. I am what you once were, and what you will be. I am the devil you've tried to hide, the devil that has been set free."

"No," Aang repeated, rocking from side to side. "No no no-"

But the creature did not stop. It reached out a tattooed hand and grabbed Aang by the jaw, pulling his face painfully close.

"I am the only conclusion," he said. "The fury, the rage, that anger and hunger, the lust for obliteration. I am your pure potential." He raised his second hand, reaching a finger out to touch Aang's forehead, the center of his arrow.

"Don't," Aang whimpered, unable to summon the strength to break free. "Please ..." The cold finger made contact.

Yes, the group had not been aware that their luck was begin to change, however they were neither aware of what had really happened. If they were, they certainly would not have considered any triumph in Aang's fever seeming to break, and for him to wake up on that forth day ...

The pain had subsided somewhat when Aang finally roused. There was a deep fatigue that sat in his very bones, and his limbs felt like lead, and it was all he could manage to let out a low groan as he struggled to open his eyes. The perversion was no longer sat in front of him, in fact his waking mind instantly fogged over those memories, the feeling of the perversion's cold finger touching his forehead and the rush of emotion and power that had come as a result, and in only a matter of minutes he had forgotten it all completely. He groaned again, this time managing to open his heavy eyes squinting in the new light.

"Aang? Aang!"

He felt someone sit at this side, and warm hands were instantly pressed to his cheeks.

"Sweetie, are you with us?"

He tried to raise a hand to his face, but it fell limply to his side, like he had tried to move it through thick oil. He attempted to swallow, his throat constricted and sore, before trying to speak.

"Where are we?" His voice was hoarse, pained, but Katara let out a relieved little whimper.

"Safe," she replied, leaning in and kissing his forehead. "We're safe for now. Oh spirits, Aang, I was so scared ..."

He was able to open his eyes fully, and he looked round at her, for a second he was unable to remember any of the events of the previous week, but her frightened blue eyes brought it all back to him, one after the other, and he was hit with a panic. "What happened?" He demanded urgently, trying to raise himself up, before gasping at the pain that spread across his body as he did so, dropping back onto the ground. "Katara, what happened?"

"The plan didn't work," she answered sadly. "It just ... he guessed it was a trap, and those spirits he had ... we couldn't fight against them. He started to follow us, before you passed out, I think this time he wanted to hurt you. Badly."

Aang remembered the agony that had coursed through his body as Tonrar fought to gain control of his Avatar State. He was familiar, now, with the rush of rage and fury that came with Tonrar's attempts to gain power, but this time it had been stronger. Whether Tonrar had been trying to hurt him, or if he was just so desperate to gain control before Aang escaped, he couldn't say. But the affect it seemed to have had on him was great. His joints and muscles felt exhausted as if he had been forced to tread water for weeks, despite the evidence of a broken fever, his body clammy and smelling of dried sweat, he felt cold, a chill deep to his bones, and his head ... no, it wasn't even so much his head as his mind that felt pummeled. He became aware of Katara watching him intently, and he dragged his thoughts away.

"I think you're right," he replied quietly, his voice still hoarse. Katara remained silent for a moment longer, still watching him, before she stood up and walked a little ways away from him. She came back shortly after with a bowl of simmering soup, which she held up to his lips.

"Here, drink this."

He hesitated at first, his stomach churning uncomfortably at the thought of food, but let her feed him some soup. Immediately he felt warmth and relief course over his body, and his churning stomach rumbled in delight, realising just how hungry he had been. She helped him drink a little more until he gestured that he had had enough, before she set the bowl beside him, slipping one of her hands in his and looking down at him with sorrowful eyes.

"Where is everyone else?" Aang asked, his voice sounding refreshed from the soup. He had noted that they seemed to be in a small cave, the fire in the center casting warm shadows around them.

"They're outside," Katara replied, her eyes not leaving him. "We've ... well, it's not been easy to find anywhere to rest since we left the Temple, and Sokka wanted as many people on watch as possible."

"Is Tonrar still following us?" Aang asked seriously.

"I don't know," Katara admitted. "But whenever we feel anyone too close by we've had to leave, we can't risk it after, well ..." She tapered off, her eyes searching his face. "Spirits ... Aang, you scared the hell out of me."

"I knew this whole thing was a bad idea," Aang replied grimly. "I shouldn't have let that happen. You all could have died back there, and when Tonrar had you ..." it was his turn now to grow silent, looking up into her eyes. He could tell from the expression on her face that she understand, they both knew what it felt like to fear that they were going to lose one another for good, there was no need for Aang to explain any further.

Footsteps caught their attention, and Aang, now feeling strong enough to sit up, looked round to see this three friends enter the cave. Sokka, Suki, and Toph were all soaked where it was obviously raining very heavily outside, and they looked positively miserable. Their expressions, however, lifted, when they realised that Aang was up.

"You're awake!" Suki cried, rushing forwards and dropping to his side, where she quickly put a hand to his forehead. "The fever's gone, how do you feel?"

"I'm ok," Aang replied, smiling uncomfortably, and feeling relieved when Suki leaned back. He was already starting to feel a pang of discomfort as he found himself surrounded by people, the area around him become more claustrophobic. He glanced over at where Sokka and Toph were standing. Toph was subdued, but Sokka had a fire burning in his eyes that was untouched by the obvious exhaustion he caried on his shoulders.

"We need another plan," Sokka said, directly to Aang. Aang heard Suki huff with indignation beside him.

"Come on, Sokka, back off, can't you?" She snapped, getting to her feet.

"No, Sokka's right."

Everyone looked round in surprise at Aang, who had turned his attention to the fire in the center of the cave. The dancing shadows, all moving in unison, suddenly reminded him strongly of something that had almost gone unnoticed in the chaos of Tonrar's attack. Aang raised a hand, manipulating the flames so that that light dimmed, and the shadows slowed.

"Aang?"

"We know more about Tonrar than we did before," Aang continued, still watching the flames, the way the shadows responded to their each and every movement. "And we can still find a way to beat him."

"How?" Katara asked, now watching the fire herself. "What exactly do we know now that we didn't before?"

"There was a moment," Aang replied, "when Tonrar first saw me. It was just a moment, only a second, but when he was distracted he lost control of those spirits."

Silence followed his words, hope seemed to flash behind their eyes.

"They stopped fighting ... like, somehow they're independent of Tonrar. I think ... I think they're like me. Spirits, maybe once people, who are under his control."

"Like ... past Avatars?" Suki asked, nervously. For a second Aang considered this suggestion, but the idea that there were past Avatars under the control of a spirit seemed like something that Roku would not have kept from him.

"I don't think so," he replied hesitantly. "But, I guess, anything's a possibility by this point."

"So, what, we need to distract him?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow. "You know we tried that, right? And it didn't exactly work that well for us."

"No I think we need to know more," Aang answered, his voice steadying now. "We need to know how Tonrar controls these spirits, if that's what they are. Or rather, why he can control them. And me. If I can work out how he controls me, then maybe I can work out how to go into the Avatar State without him affecting me."

"But ... Aang how are you going to do that?" Katara asked, looking worried. "Sweetie, you can't be anywhere near him again, I don't know how much more your body can take."

"I won't have to go near him." Aang raised a hand to the back of his head, thinking deeply. There was no way they could approach Tonrar again without knowing more about what he was up against. And the only way he could think to find more information was to cross into the spirit world and ask his past lives, ask the ancient spirits, what Tonrar was. But therein lied another problem ... Aang hadn't been able to cross into the spirit world for a long time, he hadn't even been able to meditate. A wall had been created in his mind, and he needed to find a way to break it down. There was only one person in the mortal world that he thought could help him ... "We need to go to Ba Sing Sei."

"Say what?"

"Are you crazy?!"

Aang was taken back by the shock that followed his statement, but all four of them were looking at him like he had finally lost it.

"Tonrar can force you into the Avatar State and you want to go to the most heavily populated city in the world?" Toph asked, throwing her hands into the air. "Are you mental, Twinkletoes?"

"She right," Sokka said. "After what happened at the Temple I don't think we can risk this."

"Unless I can go into the spirit world I don't think there's anyway I can beat Tonrar," Aang replied, his voice strained. "And right now no matter what I try I'm stuck here. I can't cross over, and I can't ask my past lives or the spirits for help. There is only one person that I know who has passed into the spirit world as a human. He could be my only way of getting through."

There was silence for a time, the group looking among one another with doubt, frustration, and worry. Aang sighed.

"Look ... you know I don't want to play this card, but none of you listened to me when I told you ambushing Tonrar was a bad idea." Sokka stiffened at this, but didn't disagree. "I told you that we couldn't fight him. Now, please, just trust me this one last time."

Heavily, looks and sighs were exchanged, but no one would argue against his reasonings. One by one, shoulder dropped and, defeated, they nodded.

"Good," Aang said firmly, placing his hands behind him to attempt to get to his feet. "We'll leave now."

"Don't be ridiculous, you just woke up!" Katara said, hurryng forward.

"I can get plenty of rest on Appa," Aang replied, though his aching body agreed somewhat vehemently with Katara. He tried once more to get up, but could only grunt and grimace. "But, uh-" he suddenly felt very sheepish, his cheeks burning, "-could someone help me up?"

Sokka and Toph stepped forward, grabbing an arm each and helping to lift him from the ground. Aang tried to ignore Katara's flaring nostrils and disapproving looks as Aang hooked an arm round Sokka's shoulders for support. Sokka, however, had paused, and was looking Aang dead in the eye. He could see the shadow of their defeat bearing down heavily on Sokka, and realised that it had hit the warrior hard.

"You sure you're ready?" Sokka grunted. Aang nodded, and had opened his mouth to tell Sokka that it wasn't his fault, but he had looked away and started leading Aang to the exit of the cave.

Appa was delighted to see Aang up and about, and the excitable bison nearly bowled him and Sokka over onto their backs as he rushed over to lick them both and giving them a coating of saliva each. Appa's happiness had been mirrored in Aang, who had grinned widely at the sight of his friend and assured him that he was ok. With help from Toph's bending Aang was set down at the back of Appa's saddle once the bison had calmed down, and Momo had quickly taken his place on Aang's lap. It was dark out, the sun had just set, but this was how Aang preferred it. It was much harder to follow a flying bison in the dark.

Their journey continued through the next few days, flying through the night and sleeping during the day, though Aang's sleep was often fitful and interrupted by nightmare after nightmare, visions of being trapped in a cage of fire, and the ragged breathing of a creature waiting to strike. In spite of his nightmares and limited sleep, Aang was starting to feel his strength return to him, his body recovering from the heavy fever that had seemed close to taking his very life. The mental stamina of his companions, however, seemed to be waning. Sokka seemed to be driven entirely by a determination to come up with a new and better plan, and he would often be heard muttering to himself and scribbling in the dirt when they set up camp. Suki and Katara both seemed strained by the concern they both had for their boyfriends, and it seemed as though the pair of them had united in taking a role caring for the weakened group. Toph seemed to be struggling too, though Aang wasn't sure if it was down to her defeat at the hand of Tonrar's spirit, the amount of flying they were having to do, or still whatever had been bothering her since she had been picked up by Katara, Sokka, and Suki. Aang tried hard to focus on his own issues, namely what he would ask and who he would it to when he was finally able to cross over into the Spirit World, and not once did he let his mind venture over what he would do if he couldn't. Still, though, he found it incredibly difficult to concentrate when he woke in the middle of the night from a nightmare and saw Toph was still awake, staring sightless up at the sky, morose and quiet. On several occasions he debated asking her what was wrong, but she seemed to know exactly when he was about to open his mouth to speak because she would turn her head away and lay down, turning her back to him. He had never seen Toph this cut up about anything, and it was starting to worry him almost as much as Tonrar did.

Three full nights of travel passed before they finally reached the outskirts of the Si Wong Desert, and they had touched down for a last chance to scavenge some food and water for the long trip over the featureless sandy landscape that they would be spending a further two or three days traveling over. Aang was the most nervous, it had been a long time since Appa had last been in the desert, and he was worried that memories of what had happened there, when Appa had been stolen, would open some old wounds, in both himself and his friend. Appa's disposition certainly seemed to have changed somewhat, and as they sat down under the shade of the sparse trees on the side of the mountains that separated the desert from the rest of the lush lands of the Earth Kingdom, the bison made agitated sounds, often shuffling from large flat foot to large flat foot. However, it was the quickest route to Ba Sing Sei, and it was essential that they got there as soon as they could.

Eventually day turned to dusk, and the group readied to start. Aang was physically back to good strength now, and helped them pack their supplies onto the saddle before he himself took the reins. Katara, in all her wisdom, knew why Aang was so worried about traveling over the desert, and she gave his hand a comforting squeeze before she settled into the saddle. Predictably, Appa few more and more uneasy as they flew over the desert, his pace slow and low over the sands. The bison well remembered the first time he had traveled here, the people who had stolen him from his best friend, and it was evident to all that he really wanted to turn back and go another way. Several times Aang considered doing so, but it would cost them an entire week, if not more, to do this, and he was worried that there simply wasn't the time for even that right now. However it soon became clear that Appa was more than just anxious, but was growing terrified at the prospect of going much further across the desert. He had let out low, whining groans, his eyes wide as he seemed to try to look over his back to see Aang and find comfort. At that point Aang had moved forward, his hand gripping onto one of Appa's horns as he balanced himself on one of Appa's large arms, so that he could place a hand on the fretting bison's cheek before he started to chant softly to him.

_"Sabbe satta avera hontu."_

It caught the rest of the group by surprise, who had never head Aang sing to Appa before. Katara had heard Aang chant in the past, though it had always been from the very edge of a clearing, or from the roof of an inn, when he thought that she and the others were asleep. She had believed it was a way for him to reconnect with his long gone people, perhaps something he did when he found himself overwhelmed with thoughts of the past, and hearing Aang sing to Appa felt very much she was intruding upon something intimate and private, a part of the bond that Aang had with his best friend. It seemed that Suki and Sokka too felt uncomfortable being privy to something that was obviously so private and spiritual.

_"Sabbe satta dukkha muccantu."_

It wasn't a language that Katara was familiar with, but whatever Aang was saying it seemed to be have a profound affect on Appa, who they felt relax beneath him, and who began to soar higher into the sky. In truth, it was quite a beautiful sound. Aang's voice took to the language with such ease, the natural lows and highs of his accent fitting in with those of the words, and she reasoned that it made sense. After all, he was from a culture and a time so very different from her own, a culture that the world knew so little about thanks to the Fire Nation. It wasn't something that she would often muse over, but his voice, his facial features, were all very different from anyone else she had known and met on her travels, and perhaps for the very first time all of them realised quite how different he, and his culture, could be.

_"Sabbe satta sukhi hontu."_

The chant finished, and Appa seemed to be breathing much easier, his whining had stopped and he let out a low contended sigh as Aang pet his cheek once more. Momo, too, seemed to be purring slightly from his position on the head of the saddle, watching Aang.

"That was beautiful, Aang," Katara said softly, surprising herself at first. Aang looked back at her, blushing and smiling somewhat awkwardly though seeming pleased.

With Appa seeming calmed, they continued to fly until the sun began to rise and the group decided it would be best to try and find some shelter to rest and stay hidden in. The desert sun was unforgiving enough to prevent sleep, let alone travel, and despite how keen they were to get to Ba Sing Sei, there were some risks they could not take. However, the endless low dunes and featureless sand left them struggling to find anywhere ideal to land. In the end, Toph had leaned over the side of the saddle and pointed down at the ground.

"Just land anywhere," she said. "Let me feel for any stone or anything we can use."

Aang gently guided Appa down to the ever warming sand below, and before they had even landed Toph had jumped down, her bare feet digging well into the sand as she strode several meters in each direction, frowning as she listened intently.

"Not here, keep going a little further."

After several stops, Toph let out a triumphant cry as she kicked her feet several times into the sand below her. "Finally! I think we're in luck." She spat on each of her hands before rubbing them together eagerly. "Twinkletoes, come here."

Keenly Aang jumped from the saddle. to stand beside her. "Can you feel it?" She asked him. With his boots on, Aang couldn't feel anything beyond the fuzziness of the sand, so after kicking off his shoes and wincing at the heat of the sand, he buried his feet, closing his eyes and listening as Toph had taught him all those years ago. She was right. Not far below them, he sensed something large and-

"Stone," Toph grinned. She clicked her fingers and rolled her shoulders. "Out of the way, folks."

Aang stepped back towards Appa and watched as Toph bent her knees, clenched her fists, and stamped. Instantly the sand beneath them began to shudder and slide across its surface, and she when she stamped a second time the sea of sand parted before her. Perhaps on purpose, perhaps through indifference, it was hard to tell sometimes with Toph, the group had to cover their faces as the wave of sand blasted over them. They were able to open their eyes again just in time to see her bend, thrusting her splayed fingers into the ground, and force a huge chunk of rock, larger than Appa, from the sand. Appa, irritated, had grunted and taken to the sky, Katara, Sokka and Suki still in tow, and Aang had retreated even further as Toph swung the rock round and lay it on the level sand behind them. Toph stood, turning to face the rock before, decidedly nonchalantly, she kicked a hollow straight through the length of the rock, big enough to provide shelter for all of them.

"Please enjoy your stay at hotel Beifong," she said with a wide smirk as Appa touched back down. Sokka, still covered in sand, grinned.

"Toph, I love you."

"You and everyone else," she replied, though Aang noticed the blush creep up on her cheeks. Excitedly Momo began to chatter, climbing up onto her head and running circles.

The group quickly unpacked their things and huddled underneath the shade of the rock, enjoying the feel of the cool rock beneath them in comparison to the sharp, hot sand. The synthetic cave was even large enough for Appa to crawl into, and he set himself at one end of the tunnel, promptly curling and shutting his eyes after a loud yawn. After a quick meal, the exhausted group settled down to rest. Indifferent or perhaps no longer caring if Sokka would be 'oogied out', Aang lay himself down behind Katara, arms wrapped around her, one acting as a pillow for her and the other gently stroking up and down her stomach. He felt himself drifting off easily in the now tolerable heat of the desert, content in her comfort and listening to her soft breathing as she slept. Sokka and Suki slept side by side, Toph seemed to be sleeping much deeply than she had in a long time in the safety of her rock, and for the first time in a while the group felt peaceful. There had been no signs of Tonrar following them since they had left the cave Aang had woken up in, no burning sensations across his skin, and although Aang was still suffering from these inexplicable waves of rage or anxiety that he was finding harder and harder to resist and hide from his friends, it seemed as though they had been given a momentary break from the turmoil Tonrar caused. Aang was not going to allow himself to think, even for a second, that they were in any way shape or form out of the woods, but he knew that it was important for everyone to at least get one days sleep without fear of attack.

Almost as in defiance, to prove his sleepy thoughts wrong, the sound of soft footsteps reached Aang's ears. Gently he pulled his arm from under Katara's head, sitting up and staring intently out at the sand beyond the tunnel entrance. His body wasn't screaming at him, he wasn't feeling the pull of the Avatar State, so it couldn't be Tonrar our there stalking them. Perhaps sand benders had come across them. And after the last time they came across them in the desert, Aang was not willing to let them get any closer. Katara stirred, aware that Aang was no longer pressed against her, but as she looked round at him he pressed a finger to his lips and nodded to the entrance of their lair. Gently he stood, tiptoeing past Katara and Toph and towards the end of the makeshift tunnel. Cautiously he moved to peer out, but as soon as his head was clear of the tunnel his body seemed to sense the dense funnel of air being blasted straight towards him and he pulled himself back. The noise woke the rest of his companions and, wasting no time at all, they sat up and grabbed their respective weapons.

"Tonrar?" Sokka hissed, hurrying forwards with his boomerang at the ready.

"No," Aang replied, certain in the lack of pain he was feeling. "It could be sand benders ..." But sand benders couldn't send a blast of air his way ... could it be? Was it possible? Suddenly Toph stood and grabbed his shoulder roughly.

"We gotta go," she hissed. "There's two of them out there. I'll give you guys some cover, get Appa ready." She jumped from the tunnel, pulling chunks of rock with her as she went and propelling them towards their hidden foes. Aang watched as she dodged what was definitely two blasts of air and her eyes widened with shock as she finally got a good feel of her attackers. For a moment she seemed dumbfounded, her head turning back to the direction of the tunnel. "Aang ..." Another blast hit her and though she was able to form a shield in front of her, the impact still threw her back across the sand and out of their view. There was no way that Aang could stay in the tunnel now.

He jumped out, suddenly painfully aware that he was still absent his glider, and grit his teeth. Before him stood two cloaked figures, hooded just like the spirits that Tonrar controlled. Tonrar was not here, no, but his minions were. The hoods kept their identities hidden from him, but there was no denying as they held forward long staffs and took stances that he knew so well. He was so shocked, his blood running cold, that he almost didn't block their first attacks, swirling tunnels of airs blasting directly at him.

"Get on Appa!" Aang yelled to his friends, who he saw quickly rallying to his aid. "Go, I can handle this. Go!"

"Aang we're not leaving!" Katara yelled, but before she could make her way out of the tunnel Sokka grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her towards Appa. "Sokka let me go!"

"I'll catch up!" Aang called to her, dodging another attack and trusting that Sokka would get her to safety. The spirit airbenders moved in closer to him, and he was forced to pull up a curtain of sand in the hopes of blinding him, but they were quick to retaliate.

The spirits worked so well together it was almost like a dance, they attacked simultaneously, working with such ease that Aang found it difficult to keep up with the both of them. He continued to dodge, sending his own currents of air towards them, but with them creating such a good defense and the way he was fumbling on his attacks he seemed to be no match. His mind was screaming at him _airbender airbender!_ and it was hard for him to focus on protecting himself. It felt wrong, perverted, sick even to be fighting against airbenders. However, he could hear the voices of his friends in the distance, and he knew he had no choice but to treat these two foes like he would any others, and grit his teeth. He knew that if he carried on as he did he would tire out well before he could drive them back so much as a foot, so he changed tactic. He blasted a slice of air towards them at ground level, kicking up sand as it went, watching as their staffs were lowered to block. Quickly he tried a firebending move that he had seen Zuko perform in the past, a move that he had never attempted whilst he had the benefit of his staff to assist him. Holding his hands up to his chest he raised one of his knees, spinning in the air and kicking out, throwing a violent spiraling column of fire towards them. The pair of spirit benders attempted to block, but his attack was too quick for one of them. They were caught in the blast and whilst the other ducked, with utter horror Aang watched as the other spirits hood was pushed back, revealing the face of a beautiful woman, her forehead tattooed with the blue arrow of his people, and mouth and eyes wide as she screamed in pain. Panic grew as he realised what he had done, and he started forward in an attempt to help her, but before he could progress more than a few paces the body began to convulse, falling to the ground and disintegrating before his very eyes. He skidded to a halt, feeling sick, whilst the airbender's companion stood and watched calmly, as if bemused by her reaction at being hit. Then, when the hit bender had finally disappeared, leaving just the echoes of her screams, it turned back to Aang and, without any hesitation, attacked. Aang dodged but the funnel of air still hit his side, sending him spinning across the sand.

"Aang!" He heard Katara screaming at him, and looked back to see Appa was already hurtling away. "Stop he hasn't got his glider!" Aang hadn't the time to worry about how he was going to catch up with the bison, for the spirit was on the attack once more, this time jumping through the air and swinging at him with its staff. By now, though, Aang was feeling things change. His shock, his disgust, and his panic seemed to have spurred the growling beast inside him to action, the beast that he did not recognise for the creature that had invaded his body back on that rocky plateau. The beast that had come with Tonrar. Growling, he swung his legs round, kicking up fire and knocking the staff from the spirits hands, who cried as the fire burned its hands. Quick as a flash Aang grabbed staff, feeling a thrill as he felt his airbending powers working at their full and throwing the spirit across the sand. But instead of using that moment to escape, take after Appa on the glider, he advanced on his attacker, raising the staff and throwing it yet further across the sand. He could no longer hear Katara, in fact he seemed to have completely forgotten her, a grin spreading on his face as he threw the spirit around like a ragdoll, and his arrow tattoo starting to glow. His eyes remained grey however, grey and merciless. He stood over the spirit now, his hand not holding the staff was raised, and a piece of rock broke free from the tunnel Toph had created, sharp and heavy, and now suspended above the spirits head. But before he could perform the finishing blow, the rock was blasted from his hand, and he swung round just as a firm pair of hands grabbed him around the shoulders, and he was heaved into the air. But as he turned, practically hissing and trying to bite the hand of the person who had grabbed him, hard fists made a painful connect with the side of his head, and he was knocked unconscious for what felt like the tenth time in half as many days.


	13. Into the Void

"For goodness sake, Sokka, you didn't have to punch him!"

Groggily, the Avatar stirred. His body ached again, his head felt muggy, both these sensations and waking to confusion were no longer unfamiliar to him. What was, however, was the dull thumping across one side of his face, a tightness around his left eye as both fluttered.

"Well, what else was I supposed to do?" An outraged voice replied. "If you didn't notice he had already lost it."

"Let me deal with him!" Aang, fortunately not as bemused as the last time he had been knocked unconscious, clearly heard Katara's voice ringing passionately through the air. "Let me deal with it like I have been doing. What if you had seriously hurt him? What if you've given him concussion or something?"

"Katara, he could have bitten my bloody hand off!"

"You mean I missed?" His words made the group jump, and the arguing pair looked sharply round at Aang, who was rubbing the side of his face and sitting up. Sokka had certainly done quite a number on him. His cheek was swollen and warm, and he was certain that his eye was starting to puff up and swell as the tightness grew. He was glad that Sokka had punched him, anything to stop him from hurting the others or doing what he had been about to do to the remaining air bending spirit, or whatever those things had been. But he didn't have to have hit him quite _so_ hard. He looked up at the group with his remaining good eye. At first, no one dared to speak. Even Katara seemed on her guard, and he felt a flash of anger, before he realised that the group likely had no idea how he was going to be taking these recent events. He had killed someone, hadn't he? At that thought he groaned.

"Do I look that bad?" He managed, trying to keep his tone light, and attempting a half smile. At that, Katara visibly faltered, her expression turning from guarded to relieved, as her shoulders slumped and she ran forward. With an _oof_ from Aang she threw her arms around him, almost pushing him onto his back again.

"Aang, I'm so glad you're ok," she whispered, her voice sounding choked. Aang gently patted her on the back, knowing that he was anything but, yet knowing that Katara was glad that he was, at least, no longer in the Avatar State.

"I'm alright," he mumbled back to her. From beneath them they felt Appa rumble, voicing his own relief that Aang was ok.

"So ... what happened?" Sokka asked. Aang looked over at him, and he saw Sokka flinch slightly, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably. "And, uh, sorry Aang. You know for..." he waved his hand vaguely in the direction of Aang's face.

"It's ok," Aang answered. "I get it, don't beat yourself up, Sokka."

Katara grabbed his chin, and angled his face so that she could see Aang's eye in the dimming light.

"It's not even that bad," she said quietly, almost to herself. She opened her hip flask, bent a handful of water around her fingertips, and set to work healing him.

"Back to Sokka's question," Suki said, from beside Sokka. "What happened? Why did Tonrar send just his spirits again?"

"I think that's pretty obvious," Toph replied, without even a hint of malice in her voice. "He wanted to see how Aang would react. I mean, he's got other bender spirits, I guess it stands to reason he'd have airbenders, too. Send them, see how Aang reacts. See if he can push him into the Avatar State without actually being there."

Aang's stomach churned, as he felt eyes lock onto him once more. Toph was right, of course she was. If it had just been an experiment, Tonrar playing with him, then he certainly had gotten the results he wanted. He'd not even been there, and Aang had fallen. _I murdered someone._

Ten whole seconds passed before Aang realised that he had muttered those words out loud, and he visibly flinched. Katara had not halted her healing, but she was very still, watching him. Sokka and Suki exchanged glances, and Toph pointed her face to the ground, biting her lip.

"We don't ... we don't know they're 'someone's' to murder," she said at last, her voice conveying her misplaced reasoning, and obviously hopeful that someone else would back her up.

"She's right," Suki agreed. "I know I suggested they could be people, but it still makes more sense that they're spirits."

"How does that make more sense?" Aang asked, his shoulders sagging. "We keep saying spirits but spirits can't bend. And most spirits don't tend to exactly look like people."

"But then how can Tonrar control them?" Sokka reasoned. "He can't control us. We know he controls your Avatar Spirit, right? And besides, you're the last airbender. And those were definitely airbenders!"

"Zombie benders," Toph said.

"No that's ridiculous," Katara said, firmly. "People don't turn into spirits when they die, right Aang?"

Aang looked over at her, confused. "I have no idea what happens to us when we die ..."

"No, but, I mean ... if people turned into spirits when they die then the spirit world would be full of people who had passed on." Her voice seemed grew higher as she said this, and her hands seemed to shake. "Mum would be there ... Jet, the airbenders ..."

"So they are spirits then," Sokka said, crossing his arms as if that settled the matter. Aang shook his head furiously.

"I just told you, Sokka, spirits can't bend! And further more you can't kill a spirit by-" his throat seemed to clamp up, and he swallowed roughly. "You can't kill a spirit with fire like that. Whoever she was my fire burned her into nothing."

"Aang, don't think about it," Toph said firmly. "We all know you didn't mean what happened, and until we know exactly what happened you didn't kill anyone."

Aang wished he could believe her, and he just shook his head again with an exasperated laugh. "None of this makes any sense," he said, throwing his hands into the air. "Not one bit of it."

Katara reached out and grabbed his shoulder, trying to still him. "Maybe Iroh will know more, maybe he's even heard of Tonrar. Until then, as Toph said, don't think about it."

In his exasperation he wanted to yell more. He wanted to scream at them that it wasn't that easy. That he felt rotten and dirty to his core, that he wanted to run away and not soil them with his presence any longer. But Katara's grip was strong, and the cool of her healing was still on his cheek. Whilst the rest of the world around him seemed fuzzy she remained the strong pillar in the storm.

"How far are we from Ba Sing Sei?" Suki asked.

"Another three or four days, I'd guess," Sokka replied grimly.

"Do you think there'll be more?" Suki asked Aang, and he noticed her gaze drift off to the horizon behind them, still traveling over the desert.

"I don't know," Aang admitted.

"We should just prepare for there to be more," Katara said. "We know he can send them and still keep control. That changes things."

She was right. Tonrar could push Aang into the Avatar State without even needing to be there, and it sickened him.

Despite Appa's discomfort, the attack had left the group no choice at this point but to travel straight through until morning over the desert. There had been some uncomfortable journeys in the past, none of them that had been there had forgotten the night that Azula had chased them practically into collapse, but there had never been one quite like this. The group were tense, ready for attack, and despite of his outward calm Aang's stomach churned and coiled, his mind racing over the things that had happened. The things that he'd done, the way he had lost control so easily, the way Tonrar had tricked him. In truth, a part of him wanted to shout and scream, yell out his anger until he passed out from exhaustion. His brain hurt, his body hurt, and his soul was bruised. And despite Katara's comfort, the whispers asking him if he was ok, she didn't really understand. None of them did. None of them had felt their very selves, the entire of who they were, twisted and crushed into something that was becoming less and less familiar, and more and more terrifying. Sat at Appa's head, Aangs thoughts continued to drift back to the way he had attacked that second airbender. He had been in the Avatar State, he was sure, but for the first time he had been entirely wholly conscious. He had felt the murderous desire course through his veins, and as he sat there remembered how he had enjoyed the sensation. They didn't know what it was like to want to kill, to be hungry for the taste of blood. They didn't know what it was like to live in constant fear that the next time would be the last time, that he would fall, break completely, unable to get back to himself and become Tonrar's puppet ... Or what it was like to secretly crave that very moment. The moment he no longer had to fight. He had shivered at that point. Is that what had happened to those benders? Was Suki right, after all? Were these benders once people like him, people who had been forced into being his slaves, forever cursed to carry out his evil wills. Was that what Tonrar wanted to do to him? Turn the Avatar into a weapon, use him to destroy and possess anything and everything you could possible want?

_"You are standing upon what is rightfully mine. The Avatar stole from me."_

Tonrar's words back in the beginning rang in his ears. Control the Avatar and he could take back whatever he wanted.

He was still lost in thought when they finally crossed over the desert, day now turning back into night. Everyone was exhausted, Aang included, but he seemed unwilling to stop. If they did, would the questions start again? In the air he could hide his face from all of them as he pretended to steer. No, he would keep traveling until he reached something, anything, that made sense.

Appa, on the other hand, flat out refused to go any further. As soon as the first trees came into view, the bison dipped down, ignoring any tugging on the reins, and landed heavily on the group. Appa was done traveling for the night, and he was willing to disobey Aang if it meant the bison getting some much needed rest.

Without a word, his companions jumped from the saddle to begin setting up camp. Aang, however, remained, staring blankly out ahead of him. Something had changed in him. He was becoming familiar with that rage deep in his stomach, becoming harder and harder to resist the more turmoil Tonrar put thim through. If he wasn't worried that he'd never be about to come out of the Avatar State without her, Aang would have waiting until Katara was asleep and flown away on his stolen glider. Leaving them safely without him. But the bitter truth was that he had yet to come out of the Avatar State on his own, he simply hadn't the strength. And though Sokka's methods were much more brutal than Katara's, he couldn't deny that they'd still stopped him in his tracks, and they were probably much more appropriate around company. Certainly, Katara couldn't bring him out of the Avatar State the same way she had in the dorms ... At that thought, a lump rose to his throat. _Katara_. How much had he put her through? How much had he frightened her, broken her heart. How could she see him in that state over and over again and still be standing so strong? It wasn't fair for him to keep hurting her this way. He looked over his shoulder, and saw Katara quietly laying down both of their sleeping bags, her face morose and her movements slow. When was the last time he had seen her this miserable? He grimaced and looked away. It was hard enough feeling like there were two people living inside his head fighting for control, but seeing what it was doing to her was more than he could bare.

"I can't give up," he muttered under his breath. Though his friends had not heard him, Appa had, and the bison made a low encouraging hum. He couldn't give up, for her sake he had to keep fighting this creature inside of him. Aang shut his eyes, fists still tight, and slowly counted to ten. His breathing eased, and he took one last deep breath. No, he was not going to let Tonrar change him. He refused.

"Katara." The group looked round at him, but he kept his gaze on the waterbender. "Can we talk?"

She looked surprised, but nodded. She looked back at Sokka who looked decidedly unsure, and gave him a brief smile. This made Aang feel even worse. Sokka was starting to feel uncomfortable with Katara going anywhere alone with him. Aang lightly dropped from the saddle, and Katara followed him in silence as he progressed into the trees. The sound of Suki's voice followed them, no doubt trying to reassure Sokka, and when he could no longer make out what was being said he stopped, looking back at Katara. She was watching him intently.

"Katara, I'm so sorry for everything that's happened."

Her brow raised in surprise.

"Aang ... you don't have to be sorry." She shook her head. "None of this is your fault."

How could she be this way? How could she still have faith in him after everything she had witnessed him do over the past month or more? "What if it is my fault?" He asked stubbornly. "Katara, I have messed up a lot in the past, but I never thought anything quite like ... this would ever happen." With both hands he simply gestured to himself, and the pressure of everything suddenly became much too intense. He slumped, collapsing onto the stump of an old tree. "I am so tired," he managed weakly. "I can hardly sleep, and when I do there are these nightmares that I worry I won't ever make up from. Spirits, I don't even know if I'm not in one right now." He shook his head, looking down at the ground. "I keep thinking ... if I wasn't so weak-"

"I feel like we've had this conversation before," Katara said heavily, crouching down in front of him. "I didn't humor you then and I won't now. You're not weak, Aang. The very fact that you're still going despite the number of times Tonrar has attacked you tells a very different story."

"Maybe that's not such a good thing," Aang said bitterly. He looked down at his hands, held palm up, frowning. "I don't think you get it, Katara. The more I seem to fight, the weaker I get." He looked up at her now, her blue eyes intense. "I'm not going to give up," he said. "I promise you that, I'll never give up. But ... the longer this goes on, the less and less like myself I feel. I-" he stopped, suddenly filled with fear as he looked into her eyes. How could he tell her this? How could he admit it when he could hardly admit it to himself?

"What?" Katara asked, though her voice shook. For a moment he just looked back into her eyes, unable to voice his admission, not willing to see the way her expression changed, the way she would shut down, perhaps move away from him ... but she had to know. She had every right.

"Katara," he said hoarsely. "I _like_ it."

There it was, the flash of disgust that she rapidly tried to hide. The smallest shake of her head.

"No you don't," she said, her voice sharp.

"You all seem to think that as soon as I go into the Avatar State I'm not me any more," Aang continued, determined to finish what he had started. "But that's not true. I am me, I'm there, I see and feel every second of it. I lose control and a darker part of me takes over, and I'm angry and I want everyone else to feel it, but it's more than just that. When I let the darkness take over, it feels good ... to have that much power, to be able to do whatever I want, to hurt people, to take their lives-"

"Stop!" Katara cried, standing up and backing away. "Aang stop it, this isn't funny, and it's certainly not you-"

"But it is me!" Aang stood now, taking a large step towards her and grabbing her wrists. "I feel less in control when I'm out of the Avatar State than I do when I'm in it. That's what Tonrar has done to me. That's why you can't trust me. You can't go on pretending that I'm ok, that I'm safe. Because I'm not."

He breathed heavily, looking into her wide and frightened eyes, his grip tight around her wrists, and for a long time they stood there, as if neither of them quite knew what Katara was to do next, what she could do, what she could say. But, gradually, Katara's gaze dropped to her wrists, and gently she pulled away from him.

"I know you, Aang," she said at long last, her expression morphing quickly from fear to defiance. "If you think you can just scare me away so that you're left to fight him alone you're wrong. You need me."

Not a slither of disagreement came to his mind, and he found himself answering long before he could even consider his reply. "I need you," he whispered, not breaking eye contact. "Spirits, I know, Katara."

She raised her chin slightly, and he saw that she was willing herself not to cry, and his heart broke only further. He did not deserve her, not now, perhaps not ever.

"Thank you for telling me what you did," she said stiffly. "But you said it yourself, that's what Tonrar has done to you. It is not you. And once Tonrar's buried in the dirt you won't feel any of that any more. None of it. Do you understand me?"

His eyes searched hers, but there were no cracks in her defiance, no way her walls were about to tumble. And as much as he feared being close to her, feared how he could hurt her, he knew that without her by his side he was nothing against Tonrar. Powerless, defeated long before the next battle started. He nodded. She sighed in relief, but her gaze did not lessen, and he found himself craving her strength. To have even just a portion of it, he'd be able to take on anything. He stepped forward again, eyes not leaving hers, and reached a hand to her chin. She didn't break eye contact, she hardly blinked, and her hand reached up to his chest.

"I mean it, Aang," she said firmly. "We're going to beat him."

"He has no idea the sort of enemy he's made in you," Aang replied honestly. Katara laughed, the sound brightening the dark forest around them.

"Let that be a warning to you, Avatar," she said with a smirk. His heart swelled and he couldn't help himself, leaning in and pressing a kiss on her lips. She met his lips fiercely, her hands moving from his chest and wrapping around his neck as he pulled her closer, arms locking around her waist. Their bodies melded together and their tongues danced their familiar dance and, for that wonderful beautiful moment, Aang felt her strength flow into him.

To the relief of the entire group, the remainder of their trip to Ba Sing Sei passed without incidence. The three days the journey should have taken rolled into the fifth by the time the great stone outer wall of Ba Sing Sei came into view, both intimidating and comforting. Aang, sat back the reins, let out a long sigh of relief knowing that, in a few hours time, he could finally have some answers.

They chose to wait until night fall before making their way into the city itself. Aang had not forgotten that in the Fire Nation, at least, he was considered a fugitive, guilty of destroying the Fire Sage's Temple and attempting to kill a Fire Nation soldier, and there was no way that any of them could be sure that the news had not hit the people of Ba Sing Sei in the same way. It wasn't like before. Ba Sing Sei, now under the guide of their newly awakened king, were aware of the events in the rest of the world, the Dai Li no longer controlled what news was allowed into, and out of, the kingdom. It stood to reason that the Avatar was a wanted man here, too. When night finally fell, Aang and Katara bent clouds around them, as Appa moved slowly over the city. Sure enough, their suspicions were confirmed by the numerous posters, large and small, plastered over the walls, with a painting of Aang and the words 'WANTED' in red beneath. Aang's nostrils flared, but it was the only outward evidence that he had seen the posters, and he kept his steady gaze forward. However, he quickly found he had not only posters to contend with. As they approached the inner walls, his heart sunk as his gaze fell across the graffiti scrawled across the exterior.

**DOWN WITH THE AVATAR**

Other less pleasant slogans had been painted around it, and in spite of how proud a city Ba Sing Sei was, it was clear that no effort had been made so far to clear the graffiti itself.

"Well," Aang tried, a forced brightness to his voice, "at least they're not bothered by the Coalition any more."

"Aang, I don't think we should land too far from the tea shop," Katara hissed. "And we should be quick about it."

"No kidding," Sokka muttered, leaning over the edge of the saddle and looking down at the posters below.

Aang carefully and silently guided Appa towards where the Jasmine Dragon, Iroh's pride and joy, could be found. The large, beautiful, jade green building was immediately obvious, standing out from the buildings that surrounded it, and conveniently there was a garden area at the back of the tea shop that was walled off from the streets surrounding it, and a perfect place for them to land and Appa to stay hidden. Appa landed as carefully as he could, and quickly the group dropped from the saddle. Momo let out a small excitable chitter, but Aang grabbed him and held him up in front of his face.

"Momo, you need to be quiet," he whispered. "Stay here with Appa, ok?"

The lemur cocked his head to the side, and purred disappointed, before flying off to settle on Appa's head. The bison crouched as close to the walls as he could, staying in the shelter of a large elm.

"Do you think grandpa's even gonna be awake?" Toph asked quietly, as the group scaled the back walls and made their way to the front of the tea shop. "I don't want to go in there and find out he sleeps in the nude of something."

The group shuddered, and Sokka glared at her.

"What're you worried about, you're blind," he hissed, but Suki shooshed him. Fortunately, the courtyard out front seemed clear, the streets as empty as they hoped. Aang felt Katara's hand slip into his and squeeze briefly and he looked down at her. She blushed slightly as she cocked her head in the direction of the balcony where they had shared their first kiss as a couple. He smiled, in spite of their situation, and kissed her on the forehead.

"Well, door's shut," Toph said, as they stopped in front of the elegant metal framed doors. She cracked her knuckles, then placed her hands on the frames. "I'll get 'em."

"Toph wa-" Aang hissed, but she had already pushed the doors open with a loud screech of metal. With breath held, he looked over his shoulder for anyone woken by the sound, but the streets remained silent, and he turned back to Toph. "Well, after you then," his whispered angrily, throwing his hands in the air.

Toph simply shrugged and walked into the tea room. After another quick check behind them, the group followed her into the beautiful room that stood ahead of them. The large green run, embellished with two dancing golden dragons, mirroring one another, was visible even in the low light, the golden thread picking up the very shine of the moon. The tables were lined along the edge of the room, the place looking as comforting and welcoming as it always had, even at night. The staircase to the upper levels stood ahead of them. Then, Toph closed the doors behind them and they were thrown into darkness.

"Iroh?" Aang called, tentatively into the dark. "Iroh, are you here?"

They heard a door open upstairs, and light filtered back into the room as a bearded face peered down at them, fire held aloft in one of his hands.

"Avatar Aang?" The man asked, squinting and rubbing his eyes.

"I was going to knock," Aang said hurriedly, worrying that he had alarmed the old man too much. "But, well ... Toph kinda let us in."

Iroh was silent for a while, and they all waited with baited breath, and then he burst into loud laughter. "Well, I suppose I shouldn't expect any less from our dear Toph!"

The group smiled with relief, and as Iroh reached the bottom of the stairs, lighting the lamps around them as he did, Aang walked gladly towards him.

"It's so good to see you again, Iroh," he said honestly. The old firebender walked forwards also and, before Aang realised what was happening, he pulled the younger bender into a strong hug.

"And you as well, Aang. I confess I was starting to get very worried, and I am glad to see you looking well. Though, I don't suppose you've just come here for the tea."

Aang's grin faded quickly, and he shook his head as Iroh released him. "I'm afraid not," he said seriously. "Though, some tea would be nice." Iroh smiled again, though this time somewhat sadly.

"I do like it when you come to visit, Aang," he chuckled, heading over to his table. "You do appreciate a good tea."

The group took their seats at one of the tables, and Iroh prepared some tea for them. After a few minuted, the tea maker had seated himself alongside them, pouring a strong and aromatic liquid into their cups. "This is a new one I've been working on," he explained. "The tea leaves have been smoked first, and I find it has quite an energetic flavour."

Aang took a tentative sip of the tea, and immediately felt a burst of energy run through him. He blinked a few times, looking at his friends who all seemed to have the same reaction.

"Damn, Iroh, that's some good drinking," Toph said appreciatively, downing her cup in one. "You got a name for this one yet?"

"Not yet," Iroh replied. "But I have been playing with the Smoking Dragon."

Eagerly, Aang took a second sip.

"So, what's been happening in Ba Sing Sei?" Sokka asked, his voice a little husky from the strong tea. "I can't say it looks any friendlier than the last time I was here."

Iroh sighed, and shook his head. "Not at all, I'm afraid. News of what happened at the Fire Nation capital reached us within days of it happening. The, ah, word on the street is that the Avatar has gone rogue, and that no one has so much as glimpsed you in over a month hasn't helped your case, Aang."

Aang looked up at him quickly. "I know I ... you don't believe it, do you?"

"Of course I don't," Iroh said simply, though his tone remained serious. "But your absence and the belief of your betrayal has sent shock waves throughout the city. People are taking advantage, there's not been criminal activity like it since the War, and those that remain faithful to you are starting to think that you've abandoned them."

Aang closed his eyes, and shook his head. He had expected so much, sure, so why did he feel anger growling in his chest? "I haven't abandoned them," he said coolly. "It's more complicated that that."

"I know that, Aang," Iroh said softly. "And there are still others who do also. Including my nephew."

"So, who wrote that message across the walls?" Katara asked, sounding somewhat angry herself.

"Just people who are angry, and confused," Iroh answered, pouring them all more tea. "Though I have seen a few unusual sorts around the place, who seem to be champion this rebelling against you, Aang. Cloaked ... an unusual aura coming from them..."

"They've been here too?" Aang cried, eyes wide. Iroh paused in pouring, looking up at Aang sharply.

"They're not human?" He asked. The group exchanged glances of surprise.

"We don't know," Sokka replied. "At first we thought spirits, but now it's not so clear."

"That's why I'm here, Iroh," Aang said, resting his mug on the table, and breathing somewhat heavily. "I need to know what they are, I need to get into the spirit world but, well-" he hesitated, shifting uncomfortably in his chair.

"He's lost his spirit mojo," Sokka said with a sigh, patting Aang on the shoulder. "It's all very unfortunate."

"You can't cross over?" Iroh asked, brow raised.

"I've tried everything," Aang sighed, shoulders slumping. "When I try to meditate it's like trying to wade through egg custard."

"So, what's getting in the way?" Iroh asking, leaning forward to pour more tea. Sokka hurriedly put his his hand over his cup, signaling that he'd had enough of the smoking concoction, but Iroh seemed indifferent, the young warrior having to pull his fingers sharply out of the way before they were burned by the steaming liquid.

"I guess I've been struggling to control my anger lately," Aang mumbled, rubbing his temple. Toph scoffed loudly into her tea. "You're one to talk!" Aang snapped at her, and Iroh raised his eyebrows.

"Hmm, I see! Well, I think you should examine that anger, Aang. Instead of fighting against it, see where it takes you, find out its purpose."

"That doesn't sound like such a great idea," Sokka said hurriedly, but Iroh just smiled sweetly in response.

"I think I can help you, Aang," the tea maker said, and Aang almost knocked over his tea cup in shock.

"Really?!"

"It is almost impossible for anyone to enter the spirit world when they're dealing with conflicted emotions," Iroh explained. "And for the Avatar that is especially true. However, I think I can guide you into a state of meditation where we can expose the emotions that are blocking your way. Now," he stood up, brushing down his lap, "finish your tea, and I will be back in just a moment."

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sokka hissed, leaning forward on the table as soon as Iroh reached the top of the stairs. "This doesn't sound like a good idea."

"I trust Iroh," Aang replied firmly. Sokka didn't look convinced.

A handful of minutes later Iroh returned, carrying with him a package wrapped in green silk, decorated with the finest of gold filigree across its surface. They watched as he opened the back doors of the tea shop, inviting in the light from the stars, and the lightest of breezes. Carefully, he placed the silk package on the floor and opened up the four corners, revealing a tall cream candle and a small golden bowl, as featureless as the silk was decorated. Inside the bowl there was a collection of dried petals and herbs, and he placed the candle among them. He then gestured for Aang to join him.

"You can all stay," he said to the others, "but I ask that you remain quiet and, no matter what happens, that you don't intervene." Katara seemed alarmed by that last statement, and looked hurriedly across at Sokka, who shared her doubts. Aang got from his seat, and then sat opposite Iroh on the other side of the candle.

"Light the candle please, Aang." Aang complied, lighting a small flame that danced gently and gracefully in the light breeze.

"Now," Iroh began, sitting his his hands resting upon his knees and looking calmly over at Aang, "entering the spirit world through meditation is something that only few people are ever able to manage. The threads that connected humans to the spirits were cut long ago, and with the exception of yourself and just a few others, most humans will never feel the full of the spirit world. For those of us that do it takes a lot of patience, a lot of practice, and a lot of perseverance to finally cross over. Of course for you it has always come naturally! The downside here, of course, is that relearning this ability may prove very frustrating."

"So, is that how you were able to cross over?" Aang asked, curious. In spite of the many times he had seeked Iroh's council, he had never thought to ask him about his journey into the spirit world.

Iroh paused, the soft smile on his lips faltering slightly as he struggled with an old memory. "Yes," he sighed, "it was. I had my reasons for crossing over, but ultimately they were fruitless. But we're not here to dwell on my past, young Avatar." The retired general took a deep breath, and gestured that Aang do the same. Aang's hands forming the familiar steeple on his lap, he imitated Iroh, and for several minutes he slowed his breathing, feeling his body begin to loosen. However, the more his body relaxed, the foggier his mind became, and the heavier the burden of his anger became, the more his body hummed with the memories of past pain.

"You can feel then anger," Iroh said softly. There was no sense trying to hide this from him.

"Yes," Aang replied, keeping his eyes shit.

"Focus on it," Iroh instructed, and from across the room breaths were held in concern. "But don't focus on what makes you angry, just focus on the feeling itself."

It was the very last thing that he wanted to do, and he immediately felt the panic rising, his mind pleading with him to stop. He almost obeyed, but as if sensing his hesitation Iroh spoke again.

"Aang, focus. It's not going to feel nice, but you need to focus."

Swallowing, he pushed through his fear and tentatively touched the anger and pain in the pit of his stomach. No, it wasn't a pit, it wasn't endless, instead it was a dark cloud, pulsing threateningly, unwilling to budge and wanting to swallow everything around it.

"This anger you feel is as much a part of you as the rest of your feelings. Joy, love, loss, and anger. These are all of the things that make us human, and as much as you are the accumulation of all the elements, you are also created by your feelings. But just as they can overwhelm us, we can choose to push certain emotions back. You, for a long time, have hidden your anger for fear or hurting those around you."

"But, I do hurt them," Aang said, his voice quiet and distant. The more he focus on that swirling mass before him, the further he seemed to go from the tea shop. There was a familiarity to the place he found himself, teeth-like rocks burst from the stone around him and the cloud pulsated.

"It isn't our emotions that hurt people," Iroh said softly. "It's how we handle them. Anger is not your enemy. Now, follow it, let it lead you to what its been trying to show you."

Aang looked around him, the desolate scenery around him flashed with light from the thunderstorm above, a heavy wind picking up his robes whilst the dark cloud in the center remained immobile. It now began to hum, as if trying to entice him closer.

"Where are you?" Iroh asked.

"The plateau," Aang replied somewhat vaguely, his gaze drawn towards the cloud. "I'm here all the time."

"Describe the plateau to me."

Aang now struggled to take his eyes away from the cloud, and despite the fear still in his throat, he was drawn to it, walking closer. He couldn't feel the anger any more, not within himself, but he knew that this cloud contained everything. Every source of every pain he'd ever experienced. All of it was in there.

"Aang, describe the plateau."

"What plateau?" Aang asked, distracted. He was close now, until the black cloud filled his entire vision. He couldn't resist, he held out a hand, wanting nothing more than the touch the energy, to feel it coarse through his veins, and the cloud swell to meet him. Sure enough, as they touched, he felt his entire body explode with energy hitting him with the force of a lightning strike, the cloud melding over his arm and expanding to engulf him. He cried out, his heart pounding as he realised that there was no way his body could hold all of this energy, that he was trapped.

"Aang, are you still with me?"

He heard Iroh's voice, but his body hurt so badly. He grit his teeth, clenched his fists, and fought with all he had against the dark cloud.

"Aang?"

"Y-yes," he managed, panting.

"Aang, take a deep breath," Iroh urged. "I know you're in pain but you are losing control."

He tried, he tried as hard as he could, but his body felt like putty, the dark cloud becoming hard as stone as it began to constrict him. He need out, he needed help, he couldn't breathe.

"Deep breaths, Aang. The anger is strong but you are stronger."

He felt like his skin was on fire, and back in the tea shop his tattoos began to glow.

"Going into the Avatar State won't help you!" Iroh urged. "It isn't your power but your heart that will take you where you need to go. Don't let the anger command, you must command it!"

The pain across his body was almost too much for him now, and though he tried to keep his focus on Iroh's voice he was certain that he was going to die. The atmosphere in the cloud grew thicker, suffocating, before long he wouldn't be able to breathe at all.

"I don't know how," he whimpered, before he screamed as the orb clamped down tighter. "Iroh, I can't-"

"Stop, it's killing him!"

He heard Katara's voice, and his soul seemed to call out to her, his heart beating even faster still.

"Aang, what keeps you in this world?" Iroh asked, his voice now sounding fearful. "What emotions drive you? What do you cherish?"

Katara's voice burned into his ears, and he forced himself to focus on her, just her. He saw himself waking from the iceberg, his eyes opening and seeing her for the very first time. He saw her step firmly forward, _I will never give up on people who need me!_ He heard her laugh. He saw the exhausted smile on her face as they lay together. Felt her lips on his. He focused on his memories of her, her strength, and slowly he felt the tight grip on his body weaken. He panted, pushing back against the sickening dark weight.

"That it, Aang! Push back! The anger is yours to control."

He muscles were burning with acid, but he continued to push and until he could breathe easy once more. He was winning, his face set with determination. He could do this. He could fight this and Tonrar would never be able to control him again. He pushed once more and then, suddenly, the cloud exploded. He fell hard to the ground, and with a rush of swirling air the fragments of the cloud dissipated. For a moment he just lay there on that cold rock, enjoying the sensation of air filling his lungs once more.

"I did it," he gasped. "It's gone."

"Well done, Aang!" He could hear the relieved laughter in Iroh's voice. In the tea shop Aang sat still upright, but on the rocky plateau he climbed to his feet, looking around him. He wasn't sure what he expected ... euphoria, maybe? But now that the cloud was gone, he realised that something wasn't right. He felt different, he felt more powerful perhaps, but his veins pulsed with something that he did not recognise.

"What was it there for?" Aang asked, turning on the spot. "How can I know if it's gone?"

"Perhaps the purpose of your anger will come to you as you pass into the spirit world," Iroh said. "Do you see it? You should see a path clear ahead of you."

Aang looked around, frustrated and confused. "No. Iroh I don't see anything!" His frustration was turning swiftly into anger, the reaction seemed immediate, and in the tea shop Iroh opened his eyes sharply. The rocky plateau remained barren to Aang, and he scowled furiously until, suddenly, a low light came into view ahead of him. "Wait ..."

"Do you see it now?" Iroh asked.

"Yes, a light," Aang replied, his anger ebbing and relief settling instead. He began to walk towards it, his hand out stretched to the warming, inviting glow. But then a dark shadow was cast across the beam, a shadow that grew larger and clearer. "Wait ..." Aang began, squinting and raising an hand above his eyes before-

"Tonrar!" Aang gasped, almost falling backwards as the spirit approached, face split with a joyous grin.

"Tonrar?!" Iroh yelled, alarmed. "No, Aang, wake up now!"

Aang tried, he really did, but Tonrar grabbed his arm, and before his could so much as recoil, Aang was pulled into the light. The last thing he heard in that world was Iroh crying his name.


	14. Beyond the Veil

Katara stood, now away from the table, Sokka gripping tightly onto her arm to keep her from running to Aang. He sounded in so much pain, he could hardly breathe, and all she wanted in the world was to hold his hand and tell him that it was going to be ok, that she was there for him. She had screamed at Iroh to stop, but the old general had not, simply holding a palm up to stop her, as he kept his eyes shut and his focus on Aang. She had watched the sweat and tears drip down Aang's face, and she gripped her fists so tightly that her palms began to bleed.

"Aang, what keeps you in this world? What emotions drive you? What do you cherish?"

She could see that Aang was trying, the effort was etched across his features and then, miraculously, he seemed to be winning, his breathing grew easier as he began to pant rather than mouth silently for air.

"That it, Aang! Push back! The anger is yours to control."

And Aang did seem to be gaining control. His body grew less tense and, with a loud gasp his form slumped somewhat. He had beaten it, whatever had been gripping him he had pushed away.

"I did it. It's gone."

A happy sob broke her lips, and tears of relief began to flow from her eyes. Sokka released his grip, and the others around the group let out sighs of relief. Suki leaned forward, squeezing her hand. Iroh congratulated Aang, grinning broadly himself.

"What as it there for? How can I know if it's gone?" Aang asked.

"Perhaps the purpose of your anger will come to you as you pass in the to spirit world. Do you see it? You should see a path clear ahead of you."

In truth, Katara wanted very much for Aang to come back to the tea shop, for his spirit journey to end so he could take a rest before progressing further, she worried that he was still perhaps far too fragile to really pass into the spirit world right now. Her fears were realised by his response, and the way the anger immediately came to sharp focus, his voice sounding far more vehement that she was used to.

"No. Iroh, I don't see anything!" Iroh's eyes opened, and Katara knew something was wrong. Something was worrying Iroh, too. Then, "wait ..."

"Do you see it now?" Iroh has pressed, watching Aang intently.

"Iroh, maybe we should stop here," Toph suggested, but Aang spoke over her.

"Yes, a light."

Iroh sighed with relief, casting a quick smile in Katara's direction.

"Wait," Aang said again, and they all looked sharply back in his direction before Aang said, with a gasp, "Tonrar!"

Iroh's reaction was immediate. As Katara's heart leaped to her throat, Iroh was on his feet, hands reaching for Aang's shoulders. "Tonrar?! No, Aang, wake up now!"

Katara was running before Sokka had a chance to grab her, she watched as Aang's tattoo's began to glow.

"Aang, get out!" Iroh cried, his hands hesitating just before Aang's shoulder, obviously not daring to touch him. But Katara skidded to his side, reaching out to grab his face, turning him to her, ready to calm him as she had done before. But there was nothing. His eyes were open now, but glowing blue. His expression blank, and she realised that he had passed into the spirit world.

"Aang?" She managed, eyes wide and searching. For a second she couldn't tear her gaze away before she realised she had tried to stop this. She had told Iroh to stop.

"What happened?" She roared at the old man, the words firing out like bullets. Iroh had dropped back to the floor again, his head in his hands. "Iroh!"

"Oh, dear," Iroh moaned, shaking his head. "Katara, I am sorry. So sorry."

"Sorry?" Katara repeated, her voice now panicked. "What do you mean? What happened? Where's Aang?" Her last question came out in little more than a whimper as she looked back at him. "He can just come out, right?"

She hadn't noticed her friends had gotten to their feet to join them, standing behind her, their faces a picture of horror and dread.

"No," Iroh managed, taking his face from his hands and looking across at Katara. "I don't think he can."

"Of course he can," Katara said defiantly.

"I don't understand," Iroh continued. "Why? Why was Tonrar waiting for him?"

"Those people in cloaks," Suki explained, "he controls them. And he's been trying to take hold of Aang, too."

At that, Iroh's mouth dropped open, and for a second he looked outraged. "Why did you not tell me this straight away?" He asked weakly. "If I had known ..."

"We were going to explain, but Aang wanted to get into the spirit world, he thought that if he could do that he could beat him-"

"Forget all that!" Katara snapped aggressively, turning her attention back to Iroh, her eyes burning. "Where's Aang? What's Tonrar doing to him?"

Iroh sighed, suddenly looking very old and very tired. With effort he got to his feet, walking past the group and beginning to pour everyone another cup of tea.

"Really?" Katara cried, almost hysterical. "You're drinking tea? Now?"

Iroh gestured to thei seats. "Please, sit. I will explain." Katara opened her mouth to retort, but Iroh interrupted her. "Katara, please. You can't do anything for him right now."

She gulped, furiously blinking back tears as she gripped Aang's arm tightly. It took all her strength to let go, to follow the others back to the table, her eyes not leaving his vulnerable form.

"Y-you seem to know who Tonrar is," Suki began, her voice shaking. Beside her Toph half sat on her chair, one of her feet pressed firmly to the ground, no doubt keeping a close watch over Aang.

"Yes," Iroh sighed. "I know of Tonrar."

Katara tried to draw her eyes away from Aang, but simply hadn't the will power. After a deep sip of his tea, Iroh began his tale.

"Many years ago I journeyed into the spirit world, in search of my son." He lay his mug back on the table, with a sad sigh. "I had always felt the pull of the spirits, like the moon on the ocean, but until I lost my son it had always felt weak. I had tried to cross over before, of course, though back then my purpose had been power. I am ashamed to say that I was curious as to how we could use the spirits to win the war. But the loss of Lu Ten made a lot of things clear to me, and it's what gave the energy and the right purpose to finally enter the spirit world. I had nothing left to lose. However, when I arrived in the spirit world for the first time it became clear to me that I was not going to find my son there. The human soul does not pass into the spirit realm when the body dies, and not even I am learned enough to know the answer to that question."

"You never found him?" Suki asked, her voice hushed. Katara felt a tear fall down her cheek, watching Aang's still form, as Iroh shook his head.

"No. But I took comfort in that, wherever he had passed to, it was better than the war-torn world his family had created for him."

Katara angrily brushed the tear from her face.

"My journey into the spirit world was not uneventful, however, and I was quickly going to be tested. The deeper I went, the darker the spirits became, and eventually I found myself confronted by something more terrifying that I had ever seen, and have ever seen since. A beast with many faces and the body of an insect."

"Koh," Katara whispered.

"Yes," Iroh nodded sagely. "Koh told me that he was older and wiser than any other spirit that I would meet in the spirit world, and that he would ordinarily delight in adding my face to his collection. To devour my soul. But, for reasons that remain unclear to me to this day, he chose to spare me. You see, should you show emotion on your face, Koh will take it, and where Aang had faced Koh as just a child I, a man in my prime, was powerless. But, instead to taking my face he told me much of the spirit world, and any question that I would ask of him he would answer, the exception being that of what happened to my son.

"The spirit was such a good source of knowledge for me that, over the coming years, I continued to visit him. You see, I have always felt more at home in the spirit world than I did this one, and were it not for my dear nephew I suppose I would have stayed there. Instead, when time permitted, I would travel into the spirit world and learn more from Koh. I soon learned that it was very rare for a human to enter the spirit world, and that it required a spirit to allow us to enter. Without a spirit guide, it is impossible. Koh told me that it was possible for the Avatar to enter the spirit world so easily because of the great influence the Avatar spirit had on the world, but that with some work there were other humans who could, too, enter the spirit world. You see, pure will power will not grant you entry, you had to have a spirit bound to you."

"The Avatar spirit isn't the only spirit that can join a human soul?" Suki asked, hushed.

"It is not," Iroh replied. "In many thousands of years gone by some spirits left the spirit world, and in order to survive they bound themselves to human souls. Of course, these spirits are nothing quite like the Avatar spirit, they cannot match them in power, but they still shared a bond every bit as intimate. I asked Koh the reason for this, why the spirits would leave and bind themselves to a human. He told me that when the Avatar chose to separate the spirit and human world, not all of the spirits were pleased, and in rebellion they had left, defying the Avatar and his spirit."

"Like Tonrar," Katara said, her voice full of emotion.

"Almost," Iroh replied, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I had asked Koh why my spirit, who had chose to leave the spirit world so very long ago, would actually help me to enter. To that, however, Koh had no answer. He admitted then that he hoped that my spirit would speak to him, but I had yet to even see my spirit, let alone speak through it. Something kept it hidden, or perhaps it had been away from the spirit world and bound to humans for so long that it no longer knew how to communicate."

"So, what does that make Tonrar?" Katara pressed.

"Koh did not mention Tonrar to me, not at first. It was an entire year before I was able to cross over again, and my spirit had seemed restless when I had. When I finally found Koh again I had asked him what my spirit could be afraid of, why it had been so hard for me to convince it to cross over again. Koh seemed to relish in answering me. He told me of an ancient and terrible spirit, one who I should hope never to come across in the spirit world. You see, even within the spirit world there are rules, and there are those to enforce them, and Tonrar was the judge, jury, and yes the executioner within the spirit world. When the two worlds were split, and the doorways between them shattered, the Avatar had instructed Tonrar to capture any humans that should find their way into the spirit world, and it seemed only natural that Tonrar should also punish any spirit that had chosen to leave after the great division should they ever come back into the spirit world again."

"The Avatar put Tornar in charge?" Toph asked, her voice horrified.

"Yes," Iroh said sadly. "The Avatar, in all his wisdom, is also human. And not all humans are as sweet as Aang." Katara felt her stomach churn. "Tonrar, at some point during his lifetime, gained the ability to control other spirits. It was a secret that Koh craved to know the answer to, how Tonrar could control them, but it was one that Tonrar kept to himself. He turned spirits into soldiers, and created an army within the spirit world, forever searching for human souls to trap and punish. And, when a human foolishly ventured into the spirit world and Tonrar came across them he would take their spirits too, take them an enslave them."

"So, we were right," Suki said. "Those benders that he controls, they were once human. Humans who entered the spirit world and were caught by Tonrar."

"But that still doesn't make sense," Toph added. "Spirits still can't bend the elements, and they still looked human."

"There are a couple possibilities," Iroh said. "The first being that Tonrar, whilst still in control of the spirit, allows it and the human soul to return to their human body back in our world-"

"But there were airbenders," Toph interrupted. "Airbenders who have been dead for over a hundred years." At that, Iroh suddenly looked pale.

"The body without its soul is a very different animal from one with," he said. "I have seen the faceless that Koh lured into his lair, the humans who he physically dragged into the spirit world. Without their soul and their faces they don't die, they don't fade, the continue forever. Maybe these soulless bodies have existed in our world for centuries after their souls were stolen and their spirits possessed."

The group were stunned into silence, and faces turned to look at Aang. Katara felt her chest tighten. Is that the fate that lay ahead of Aang? Was his soulless body going to remain forever, waiting for Tonrar to finally return the Avatar spirit and use him like he had the other benders?

"But, Aang's the Avatar," she said weakly, not entirely to anyone other than herself. "He's strong, he can escape."

"The Avatar in the spirit world," Iroh replied, "makes anything possible. Aang is powerful in this world, but in the spirit world is where he is truly masterful. Tonrar will need to take full control over the Avatar spirit to separate it from Aang's soul."

"But Tonrar could control Aang," Sokka said, rubbing his arm uncomfortable as he watched his sister with concern. "He could, well ... he could already have control." Iroh shook his head.

"No, we'll know when the Avatar spirit and Aang are separated, for Aang will stop glowing."

They all looked over at him now and, for the first time in many months, seeing Aang in the Avatar State came as a comfort.

"To control Aang he sort of ... possessed his energy," Toph told Iroh. "We've seen it happen again and again, he forces Aang into emotional situations, he made him angry so that he could control him."

Iroh laughed dryly. "I guess Koh and Tonrar aren't so different. Koh cannot steal a face until its wearer betrays emotion, perhaps Tonrar needs similar to steal a spirit. Perhaps in the spirit world it is easier, the Avatar spirit is stronger after all, but the human soul, even if it's the Avatar's, is more vulnerable ... but, I guess Tonrar didn't realise that it was Aang's anger itself that was preventing him from passing into the spirit world. At least, until I helped him," he added with regret, shaking his head.

"But, if that's true, all Aang has to do is stay calm," Toph added. "Don't show emotion, he'll be safe. You said he could do this in front of Koh, he can do the same with Tonrar."

"But you all heard him," Katara said, miserably. The more Iroh spoke, the more her hope seemed to fail, the more she feared she would not get Aang back. "He was angry before Tonrar even had hold of him."

"Hey," Sokka moved from his chair and put an arm around his sister, hugging her tight. "He's still glowing, he's still ok."

She stood in the warmth of her brother's arms, watching Aang's glowing form, her heart hammering. If only they had mentioned Tonrar first, told Iroh about him before Aang could have gone into the spirit world. They had been so stupid, too eager, to fast, they hadn't thought. But she knew about Tonrar now, she knew what he would be trying to do to Aang right now in the spirit world. Sokka was right, Aang was still glowing. There was still time.

"How do we save Aang?" She finally pulled her eyes away from her lovers figure, and turned to face Iroh. "How do we get him back?"

"I- I don't know," Iroh said weakly.

"Well, I do. Show me how to get to the spirit world and I'll find him," she spat in return, pushing away from Sokka and curling her hands into fists. "I'll find Tonrar and I'll get Aang back."

"Katara, dear girl, with all the will in the world there is just no way for you to enter the spirit world," he replied softly. "You do not have a spirit bonded to your soul."

"No, but you do."

Everyone looked round at Toph, who sat pointing at the old general.

"You can go after Aang."

Iroh blinked at her, face thoughtful, before looking over at Aang. Katara's heart leaped, there it was, there was her hope. Iroh raised his hands and looked at them, his brow creasing before he heaved a deep sigh. "I cannot promise that I can cross over, it has been a long time. But I will try. But it can't be here. Appa cannot be spotted in the city, we need to go somewhere secluded, somewhere safe. It will be down to you to protect us if Tonrar's benders come looking."

"Let's get out of the city first," Sokka said, "get Aang out of here and then we'll find somewhere."

Though Katara was frightened that the time spent doing that could be costing Aang, she agreed, knowing that it would be harder to move both Aang and Iroh onto Appa if they had to make a run for it. Everyone got to their feet, Iroh wrapping the golden bowl and candle back up in the green silk shawl. Together, Iroh and Sokka picked up Aang and lay him on the saddle, whilst Katara jumped up to sit beside him, her hand taking his and looking down into his glowing blue eyes.

"Hold on, sweetie," she whispered.

"So, where do we go?" Sokka asked from the reins as they cleared the city's inner walks, urging Appa to fly higher into the sky. "There has to be somewhere nearby that Tonrar won't think of."

"Tonrar's in the spirit world, don't forget," Suki replied. "It's his cronies we've got to worry about now."

"There is an island," Toph said. "But it's an hours flight from where we are now."

"We don't have an hour!" Katara cried hurriedly, looking up from Aang's face. "Iroh, can't you just go into the spirit world now? On Appa we can protect you until we find somewhere safe ..."

"Katara we're sitting turtle ducks on Appa," Sokka retorted. "He's too noticeable!"

"But Katara is right, don't have have an hour. Sokka, there is a series of low peaked mountains to the south of the city. Take us there," Iroh said.

Sokka glanced back at him, his expression unsure. "South is where they're coming from," he said. "They chased us through the Si Wong."

"But if they're headed for the city they might miss us," Iroh suggested.

"Alright," Sokka said doubtfully, but he guided Appa south.

The short flight towards the mountains they had already passed over on their way into Ba Sing Sei was ripe with turmoil and concern. Katara sat with Aang's head rested on her lap, staring blankly ahead of her, and even Toph had reached out to place a hand on Aang's arm, her brow furrowed as she concentrated on him. Eventually they reached the series of mountains, and Sokka led Appa to a cove that split into the side of one of the peaks. Appa made a loud moan, slowing down and looking nervous about being in such an enclosed space, but Sokka had leaned forward, placing a hand on his head. "It's for Aang, bud." Appa grunted uneasily, but took them in and landed on the rough stone floor.

"We've wasted enough time," Katara said, grabbing the silk package from the saddle as she jumped from Appa. "Please Iroh, hurry."

She watched as Iroh unfurled the silk, laid out the bowl and candle, lighting it with his bending. He sat crossed legged on the ground, placing hands palm up on his lap, and exhaled slowly. With baited breath the watched him, until they noticed his breathing and his body ease.

"Please find him," Katara whispered, watching Iroh's expression soften and still as he crossed into the spirit world. "Please."

Iroh eyes snapped open, and he blinked furiously in the gloom, trying to get his bearings. He realised, with mixed relief and satisfaction, that he had successfully crossed over into the spirit world, his inner spirit deeming his cause noble enough to overcome its fear of Tonrar. He got to his feet, brushing the dust from his knees before placing his right hand over his chest.

"Thank you, old friend," he whispered, before turning and taking a good look at his surroundings.

The spirit world stood parallel to the human world, and although time and distance didn't always work in the same way as it did back home, he was fairly confident that Aang would not be too far from where Tonrar had snatched him from the tea shop. However, it was still a very long walk, the city of Ba Sing Sei itself took much of the day to travel through without help from the network of trams that ran like veins through its many districts., and he was unlikely to be so lucky as to find a straight course directly to where Aang was held. He sighed.

"My old friend, Koh," he said out loud now, feeling his chest flutter. "If you're close, I would like to see you again."

He waited for a few moments, but no answer came. Koh, wherever he may be, was not intent to assist Iroh on his journey this time. And so, the old general took once glance up at the starry sky above, turned sharply on his heel, and began to walk north.

The spirit world was silent, deathly so. The rocky walls of the mountain were a dull brown, and seemed far more imposing than they had back in the human world. No spirit life seemed to stir, and with some effort he pushed his way through the crevices that worked to prevent his passing. In the numerous occasions he had crossed over into the spirit world he had never known it to be so still, so absent. He didn't need to be the Avatar to know that something wasn't right. Something had changed.

He wasn't sure exactly how long he walked for. It could have been mere minutes, it could have been hours, time in the spirit world felt so different to how it did in the human world, and although he tried to remain calm and pensive, he couldn't hide back the flutter of panic when he thought of how long Aang may have actually been trapped here, whether it was too late to save his young friend. In time he reached the end of the mountain peaks, a final crevice for him to squeeze through before the rest of the world opened up to him. However, the final break in the mountains was high, he would need to climb to reach it, and his aching knees were already starting to protest. With a heavy sigh he rubbed his hands together and began to climb, his feet slipping on the slippery surface of the rock. Thick grimy lichen grew on the stone, and before long his hands were covered in the foul smelling stuff, making the climb only that much harder. However, panting, he made his way to the top and climbed through the crevice, and gasped at the view that was offered to him.

A steep cliff face ahead of him led down to what he could only describe as a city, though he had always been so sure that nothing human-made could possibly be found in the spirit world. There were no over bearing walls here, no districts, by near enough it resembled Ba Sing Sei, similar Earth Kingdom architecture towering high into the umber sky like jagged teeth, a think layer of fog having settled across much of the city.

"How am I going to find Aang in this?" Iroh thought out loud, his eyes bugging at the sight. The city was huge, and if offered so many places for Tonrar to be hiding Aang, though he was certain that the spirit would be hiding inside. Without a guide here, without someone like Koh, he could very well be lost in the spirit world forever. Always searching for Aang whilst the world he had left behind crumbled to dust.

Swallowing and placing a hand over his fluttering chest for comfort, he began to negotiate the uneasy and sharp decline of the cliff. More than once he slipped, his hands gripping hard onto the lichen covered stone to prevent him from tumbling straight to the bottom. However, his luck seemed not to hold out for long, and the third time his feet gave way under him his body fell sharply. His arms waved around, trying to grab something to slow his fall, but the stone was too slippery for him to gain purchase. Lose rock and thick vegetation whipped and scratched at his face and arms. After a blood curdling moment of free fall he landed hard and was finally able to dig his hands into a particularly thick patch of bush, gasping heavily at the shock. He lay where he was for some moments, gathering himself, before sitting back up. His hands were badly cut and bleeding, and it stunned him to see his corporeal form could have taken this amount of damage, and for it to hurt every bit as much as if his physical body had attained these wounds. Wincing, he climbed to his feet, relieved to see that the cliff face was starting to even out, and that his passage would be somewhat easier from this point on. Rubbing his bloodied hands on his robes, he continued towards the city.

The closer he got to its edge, the more the fog seemed to close around him. It was thick, and it had a strange scent to it that he could not put his finger on, and when his hands made contact with the first building in the city he realised that it was scarcely possible for him to see more than six feet ahead of him. Already the odds had seemed against him when he could see. Now, he wondered how he would ever be able to find Aang.

Fortunately for man who had once been viewed as a prodigy among his Nation, he was not all vulnerable without his vision. His senses, though duller than they had once been, were still sharp, and he could hear and smell much of what was around him, his hands outstretched as he pushed through the fog. Often a dark figure would appear before him and his heart would leap to his throat, but as he got closer it inevitably turned out to be a tree growing from the cracked cobblestone beneath, or a low fence. It was as he carefully negotiated his way around a collapsed and rotting trunk that he heard the loud crashing of footballs, shaking the very earth beneath him. Instantly he shrank back against the trunk, his eyes wide as he tried to pick out any sign of movement around him. Then, a breeze tickled the top of his balding head, and he looked up sharply to see a large paw pass over him, crashing to the ground further on. He could not see any more of the spirit, but he had once witness the large wolves that prowled the spirit world, their orange eyes forever searching, and he was thankful that this spirit seemed to have missed him. He took a moment to catch his breath again, before he pushed away from the trunk, continuing further into the city.

The deeper he got the more he began to wonder, with some urgency, how he was going to find Aang. What he would do if he couldn't. He could have very well already have passed the Avatar by now, Tonrar watching him with a smile on his face, and not know of it. How could he return to the human world without Aang? He thought of Katara, the anguished look on her face when she realised that Aang had passed into the spirit realm, and it reminded him so strongly of the way his world had fallen apart around him when he had word of his son's death. He shook his head vigorously. Now was not the time. He had to strengthen his resolve. No, he had not been able to save Lu Ten, but he could save Aang. He _would_ save Aang. His spirit seemed to swell within him, and he was hit with a moment of pure euphoria, he had it's strength to fall back on, and as he looked forward he felt the pressure ahead of him suddenly change. He could not see anything, but he could certain feel it, a presence ahead of him, a powerful once, almost humming in the gloom. His mind raced and he crouched low to the ground. It could be Aang, after all the Avatar spirit was going to give off much power in the spirit world. But then, so would Tonrar. Tentatively he moved forward, keeping close to the walls, his senses primed, and the fog began to thin until he stopped dead at the edge of a large clearing where, in its center, stood Aang.

"Aang," he hissed, his first instinct to run to the boy, but his many years of battle experience kept him back. Nothing was ever quite this simple in war, in any battle. Spirits, even brewing tea took careful consideration and patience. Aang stood so clearly in the middle of the clearing, nothing constricting him or seeming the guard him, and a spectacle such as this could only be a trap. The boy stood, eyes closed, his body barely shifting in the breeze. Tonrar was close, he had to be.

"That's right, old man," came as voice, high and cold as ice, chilling him to the bone. "I had a feeling you would try and follow him.

Iroh felt as though an icy blanket had been wrapped over his body, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. He stood from his crouch, looking in each direction to try and see the spirit that had stalked him in the fog.

"Show yourself, spirit," he demanded, his hands pressed to his chest.

"As you ask."

Iroh turned sharply on the spot and saw the ancient spirit stood beside Aang. His form, dark yet oddly beautiful, towered above the young Avatar, who's storm grey eyes had opened, and were staring blankly in his direction. He drew his eyes away from Aang and looked again at the spirit that stood before him. He stood in sleeveless black robes that turned to smoke at their skirts, and his brown arms revealed many tendrils of glowing red energy tattooed to his skin like veins. Upon his bald brow were more red markings, curled down towards the center of his forehead, and putting the focus on his piercing eyes. His appearance was a juxtaposition of all things terrifying and, yet, somehow paternal. The creases on the outer corner of his eyes looked like laughter lines, and indeed despite being the most frightening shade of red Iroh had ever seen there was almost a warmness there, inviting and fatherly. He had, in truth, never seen anyone quite like this spirit.

"I'll be truthful with you if you are truthful with me," Tonrar said softly, smiling as he spread his arms. That smile, no matter how much the rest of his face tried to draw you in, was clearly dipped in pure madness. It spread across his entire face, like it would split it in two. "Why are you here?"

"I've come for Aang," Iroh replied, drawing himself up to his full height and allowing no fear to show on his face, though he felt his spirit beating furiously inside of him. "And I've come to find out why you, most ancient of spirits, would be so foolish as to steal the Avatar spirit and soul of the human he is bound to."

"Foolish?" Tonrar asked, sounding politely puzzled. "What about this seems foolish to you?"

Iroh hesitated for the briefest of moments. "We each have our roles to play in the world, be it spirit world, or human. I don't think this was ever yours, Tonrar."

Tonrar laughed, wide mouth displaying several rows of sharp teeth. "And what would you know of my role, old man?" He asked. "You cannot even comprehend the tasks that I have been given over the millennia. And, shouldn't we be able to choose our roles in this world? Or do you think that purely a human notion?"

"I know only of what I've been told," Iroh said. "And I know that it is the duty of the Avatar to create peace and balance in the world, why would you want to destroy that?"

Tonrar lowered his arms, his smile fading at an alarming speed as he inclined his head to look down at Aang, who continued to stare blankly at Iroh. "When you have existed for as long as I have, old man, it soon becomes clear that not everything is as it seems. You seem to know of me, so I will assume that you are aware that, many thousands of years ago, the Avatar bestowed onto me the task of punishing any humans that should enter the spirit world. And yes, I was asked to punish them. The very Avatar that destroyed the physical bridge between our world was not the benevolent soul you humans no doubt believed. On his instruction, I would prowl the spirit world for humans that had crossed over and I would trap their bound spirits and, as payment for their choice to abandon the spirit world to begin with, I would consume the human soul." Iroh paled at this, his hand clutching his chest tight. "The human souls kept be satiated, but seeing the pain this act inflicted upon the spirits left me curious and hungry to know more." Tonrar began to pace gently around Aang, keeping his eyes glued to him. "You see, even a spirit cannot remain satiated forever. As my curiosity grew I began to ponder my own existence, and how I could impact the spirit world with my findings." Tonrar paused at the moment and looked over at Iroh, a smile flicking the outer edges of this wide mouth, before the continued to circle again.

"The more souls and spirits I tore apart the more I began to see that the bond between them was more than just physical. When the human before me was trapped, with no hope of escape, the spirit bonded to them still would not reveal itself. You see, a spirit can leave its human companion at time that it likes, and no longer being connected to a mortal soul it stood a much better chance of evading me. But never, over the thousands of cases I examined, did the spirit escape the body. Why, I asked myself, would a spirit sacrifice itself like this? Why not escape? Perhaps the longer a spirit was attached to a human soul the stronger that attachment became. Was it loyal to its human host? Was this, perhaps, the love that humans spoke of? Did the human soul love the spirit also?" Tonrar looked sideways over at him again. "I see that your spirit is no different in that regard."

Iroh felt his chest thump, as though the spirit within him wanted to respond to Tonrar's words. His eyes flicked back to Aang and he wondered whether both his soul and the Avatar Spirit were still bound together, whether he had already consumed Aang's soul.

"I think you underestimate how strong a humans bond can be with something that is not himself," Iroh replied. "Humans are capable of much more than you can imagine."

"No doubt," Tonrar sighed. "Of that I had no question, I had observed humans enough to know that they are highly emotional and empathetic creatures, at their core. But I had never expected to see that emotional attachment so strong in the spirits."

"But spirits can fall in love," Iroh shot back. "The love between Tui and La created the world as we know it, the moon and the ocean."

"True," Tonrar raised a hand to his chin, pausing in his pacing. "But that is entirely different. All of the spirits are interconnected in one way or another, the most ancient of spirits can themselves have an impact on the others. It was the spirit bond with the human soul that intrigued me. You see, once I had consumed the human soul, I could sense the pain and suffering that the spirit went though. It would mourn the loss of it's human companion, some of them would even scream in anguish, lose the will to go on." He inclined his head towards Iroh, a wry smile on his lips. "Much like a father would after the loss of his son."

Iroh's hands clenched into fists as he thought to hide the emotion from his face. How could Tonrar possibly know that he had lost his son all those years ago? No, it didn't matter how, what mattered was that Tonrar was beginning to toy with him, and he would only do that if he intended to weaken him. He relaxed his hands and raised his chin, not breaking eye contact with the malevolent spirit. At that Tonrar chuckled, looking away and continuing to circle around the Avatar.

"But, what I didn't realise at first, was that this pain that the spirit felt, the more, ah, human their emotions seemed to become, the easier they became for me to control. I didn't originally have the power to influence spirits, it was something that came to me over time. Why, I couldn't tell you, but come to me it did, and I quickly found that the more pain and anger a spirit felt, the easier they would be for me to control. After consuming the souls of their human companions I would then feast upon their suffering until they would do anything that I asked of them." He stopped again, this time frowning. "But, I am not immune myself. I am not quite as emotionless as I'm sure you believe. The more souls I consumed the more human I also became. The more spirits I controlled, the more I felt their pain, the more I mourned for something that I could not quite understand, this sense of loss and longing that I could not touch." He now looked back at Aang with something akin to hatred now spreading across his features. "But I figured it out, the more I consumed the more things began to make sense. I mourned the way the world had once been, I mourned for the human world, I mourned for the freedom I and other spirits had once had, when both the worlds were ours to live in."

"The spirits never had dominion over the mortal world," Iroh said quickly, thinking back to Koh's teachings and all that he had ever learned of the two world. "It has always been this world, and ours."

"So you believe. So the Avatar has led you to believe. But you see, old man, I don't want to be stuck in this world any more. I don't want to be stuck here feeling the pain and anguish of all the spirits I have controlled in my so terribly long a life time. I don't want to mourn a connection that I was tricked into breaking by the Avatar." Suddenly he growled, spitting at the ground in front of Aang. Iroh felt his hackles rise. "The Avatar. Free to travel between worlds without consequence, deciding for us what is right. Who says the Avatar is the keeper of peace? Who says it is her right to keep the balance? Perhaps in destroying the Avatar's human form, consuming his soul, and taking control of her spirit I am fulfilling the very duty given to me all those years ago. Punishing a human who dared to cross the line."

"But why?" Iroh asked, his heart beating loud in his chest. "Aang is not the Avatar who gave you those tasks. Why control him, consume his soul? You could just join our world as many other spirits have done, and lived in peace."

"You do not understand that the human you see and the spirit that lives within are very different," Tonrar spat. "No matter what I do, the Avatar will eventually come to destroy me, or have another spirit do it for her. Maybe not in this human form, but in the next. No, with the Avatar spirit in my control I will hold all of the power in the world." Tonrar reached out and placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, and Iroh felt his insides squirm. "In your world I was able to manipulate the Avatar spirit, despite all of her power, because she was bound to a human. A young adolescent human with a turmoil of emotions running through him that allowed me such easy access to the Avatar spirit within him. And now, in the spirit world I have the ability to break the bond between her and this human, to take control of the Avatar spirit as she mourns the early demise and painful separation from her human companion. And with power I can repair the bond between spirit world and human, and put the world back into balance."

Tonrar drew himself tall now, showing little attention in Iroh, and the old general realised that he was preparing to conduct the final stages of his plan. To tear the Avatar spirit from Aang and consume his soul. He had to stop him, he could not bear to witness such a terrible act, to see the world turn to dust around him, and he turned and grabbed the nearest thing to him that he could reach; a rotting branch that, thrown with all his might, his the spirit on the shoulder, who looked round with absolute disgust.

"I won't let you do that, Tonrar!" Iroh yelled, stepping forward bravely. "You see, it is not you but the the Avatar that dictates the balance of the world. The Avatar is the only one granted with that power!"

"A power that she has no right to!" Tonrar screamed, no longer calm and his face stretching in fury.

"You have no right to that power either, Tonrar!" Iroh stood steady. "And I will not let you take it."

Tonrar laughed again, this time a sound so hideous that even the fog around them seemed to seek cover. "You can't stop me, old man. What can you do? You are only human."

Iroh closed his eyes and looked deep within himself, pleading or the spirit that shared his body to give him the strength he needed to destroy Tonrar. "Not just human."

Tonrar scowled, and began to stalk to towards him, but as he reached out to grab Iroh by the throat he felt a huge tearing sensation in his chest, his body weakening dramatically as a bright white light grew between himself and the demon aiming to consume him. He gasped and looked down to the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life, a moth of pure white light and immeasurable grace, fluttering in time with the beating of his heart, break free from his body. Tonrar took a step back, his expression alarmed as the moth-like spirit fluttered towards him. Before Tonrar could react the spirit flew fast circles, and the long tendrils of his tail began to tighten around Tonrar's neck. Iroh felt his body buckle, the unearthly weakness that had come over him like nothing he had ever felt before, and he cried out as his body his the ground.

"Let go of me, I command you!" Tonrar snarled, reaching up to his neck and pulling at the spirit. Eventually, with a furious growl, he wrenched the moth from him, and tightened his fists around the small creature. "I will crush you."

"No, Tonrar."

A voice that Iroh didn't recognise came from behind the terrible spirit, and with the little of his remaining strength he looked up to see Aang, eyes and tattoos glowing, take a step forward. "If that little spirit is not afraid of you, why should I be?"

Aang spoke with the voice of a woman, a sound that was entirely terrifying. Tonrar, however, just laughed once more, his hand still holding Iroh's spirit aloft.

"I can still devour his soul, Raava! You may have resided in many humans in your time, but even you cannot bear the pain of being forcibly torn from his soul. And there isn't anything that you can do to stop me, you have no control over me." He crushed the little moth spirit once more in his hand, causing Iroh to cry out in pain. He watched through eyes full of tears as Tonrar discarded the beautiful thing as if it were rubbish. Tonrar reached out his hands and bared his teeth as he made to grab Aang, to finally consume his soul, and with the very last of his energy Iroh lunged forward, collecting the moth in his arms as he did so.

"Tonrar!" He yelled, causing the spirit to pause and look back, but it was all the distraction that Aang needed. The glow dropped from Aang's body and his grey eyes, now wide and alert, connected with his own and, after understanding flashed between them, Aang then turned his attention back on Tonrar just as the spirit looked back to him. With a roar Aang raised his fist and it connected with the side of Tonrar's face, causing him to stumble to the side, mouth wide with shock. Before Tonrar could react Aang reached forward, grabbing Tonrar's head with both his hands and bringing it down fast to his knee with a loud crack. Screaming the spirit raised his hands to his face and, before the spirit had even fallen to the ground Aang was running towards Iroh, grabbing him with hesitation and pulling him to his feet. Iroh was weak, but Aang pulled him onward, forcing him to run. As they did Iroh held the moth to his chest, willing for the spirit to become one with him again, to give them both strength. The spirit understood, and like water into dry earth, it sunk into the refuge of his heart. Iroh felt some of his strength return to him, and he forced himself to carry on.

"We're still vulnerable here!" Aang yelled, urging Iroh to run faster. "We need to get back!"

Iroh heard Tonrar screaming behind him, his rage causing the very earth below them to shake. "I think that would be a good idea!"

"Where are our bodies?" Aang asked, panting as they ran. "Where did you come in?"

"Right up that mountain," Iroh gapsed, pointing at the far away cliff face that looked tall and impenetrable as a fortress. "But it's far."

"Monkey feathers," he heard Aang yell. "Tonrar's catching up, we'll never make it."

"Return as we are," Iroh demanded, coming to a standstill and grabbing Aang's wrist. "You can do it, cross us back now!"

He watched as the young Avatar's eyes widened, his face full of doubt and panic as Tonrar could be seen now hurtling towards them, red eyes aflame and his figure seeming to grow larger as he did.

"Aang, you can do it! Do it now!"

Aang grabbed Iroh shoulder and shut his eyes, taking a deep breath, and Iroh watched as his face still, his body calm.

"There is nowhere for you to go, Raava!" Tonrar howled. "I will find you, in this world or that, and I will destroy everything he loves! I will destroy his home, I will destroy his love, and I will destroy you!"

Then, Iroh felt his body leave the ground and the world around them faded.


	15. South Wind Blows

Aang arrived back into the human world with a gasp, shooting up from his laying position in Appa's saddle, the bright light of the sun instantly burning his eyes. Adrenaline still pumped, and his legs burned, but he was here, he had made it.

"Aang!" He heard a beautiful, wondrous, lyrical voice cry out to him, and before he could get his bearings, figure out where he was, Katara had thrown herself around him, pushing him back to the saddle as she sobbed into his shoulder. Instinctively his arms wrapped around her, and he buried his face into her neck, his hands gripping her as tightly as he could. "I thought I'd lost you," Katara sobbed. "I thought I'd lost you again."

"You'll never lose me," he managed, his own eyes starting to burn with tears. "I promise I'm never going to leave you." She pulled back and he opened his eyes to look at her and without considering their surroundings he pulled her back to him, his lips connecting with her and his hands disappeared into her hair.

"Aang." A weak voice broke them apart, and Aang looked over to see Iroh, his face a mixture of relief and exhaustion, looking over at him. "Tonrar ..."

"We have to go now," Aang said, still clutching Katara to him and looking back into her eyes. "We have to go, Tonrar will be coming."

"What?" Toph cried. "You mean he's still after you?"

"Yes," Aang said, squeezing Katara's hand as she helped him to get to his feet. "And he's angry."

Katara pulled at his hand as he made to jump from Appa, pulling his attention back to her. "Can he still control you?"

Aang hesitated. In truth, he did not know the answer to that question. He still was not entirely sure what had happened in the spirit world, much of the events had been a blur, but he knew that his Avatar spirit had come forward, had somehow managed to break the control Tonrar had over him. Whether he could do it alone, whether she _(Raava, had that been her name?)_ could do it again, he didn't know. He looked over at Iroh, hoping he would know better.

"I think he can," Iroh replied. "In this world perhaps. But you know how to stop him."

Aang took a deep breath, and nodded. "I think so."

"What happened in there?" Sokka asked, climbing up beside him on Appa. "You were gone for hours."

It was only then that Aang realised how high the sun was sitting in the sky, that somehow the entire night and the best part of the day had passed him by whilst he was trapped in the spirit world. "I can fill you in on the way, but right now we have to go. We need to get somewhere sheltered, somewhere we can protect ourselves if he comes for us."

"The island," Sokka said, looking over at Katara and Suki. "The one I mentioned before. To get there we'd pass right over Chameleon Bay."

"What good is that?" Toph asked, but Iroh was raising his brows, impressed.

"You remember when we tried to attack the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun?" Sokka continued, as he made sure that everyone was seated in the saddle, and reaching for Appa's reins. "Aang and I met dad at Chameleon Bay. It's perfect. There's cover, there's a good vantage point, and should Tonrar and the benders attack we can easily surround them."

"Genius Sokka," Iroh congratulated, his hands held weakly against his chest.

"But is there enough of us to pull this off?" Suki asked. Sokka quickly shook the reins, and with a _yip yip_ Appa took to the air again.

"We've got the Dragon of the West," Toph said, patting the old man on the shoulder. "There's enough of us."

Iroh smiled graciously at Toph, but it was clear to all that he was severely weakened by his trip to the spirit world. Sokka angled Appa eastwards, along the large river the ran right through the middle of the Earth Kingdom and led to Chameleon Bay at its very end. It was not far, if Aang remembered correctly, and he was certain Tonrar was already back in the human world and on the hunt.

"So, what happened in spookyville?" Toph ventured, pulling a skin of water from one of the packs and offering it to Iroh. For a moment, Aang sat in a stunned silence. He had been so keen to get away from Tonrar, to get them somewhere safe, that he'd barely had a moment to register all that he had heard in the spirit world, all that he had felt under Tonrar's control that had seemed, at the time, impossible for him to break free of. Tonrar had revealed everything to Iroh, he had no doubt already planned to consume the old general's soul and add his spirit to his collection, but instead Aang had broken free and he and Iroh had escaped. They knew everything now, they knew all that Tonrar planned. And the knowledge was so overwhelming that he didn't quite know where to begin.

"Aang?" Katara put her hand on his arm, her expression worried. He placed a hand on top of hers and took a deep breath, trying to put his thoughts in order. He looked over at Iroh, who now sat with his eyes closed, holding his hands against his heart and rocking gently. Iroh was exhausted, his spirit had left his body and battled with Tonrar and he could only imagine how much that took out of him, not to mention the pain of Tonrar hurting his spirit. Iroh needed to rest, and his spirit needed to heal. Gently Aang placed a hand on Iroh's shoulder, and Iroh nodded softly.

"I don't know what happened between the moment Tonrar took me and Iroh arrived," Aang began, quietly. "It was all just a blur of noise and light and ... pain." He rubbed his forearms, trying to dislodge the memory. "But I could feel when Iroh got there. And that's when Tonrar told us everything." The group looked excited at this, listening intently. "We learned that Tonrar's ultimate goal is the repair the broken bond between the human and the spirit world, and to do that he needs control of the Avatar spirit."

"I don't get it," Sokka said at once. "Given you're the- whatchu call it- the bridge between worlds why didn't he just ask you?"

Aang shifted uncomfortably at this, biting his lower lip. "Well, because I wouldn't do it. You can't imagine how things would be if the spirits and humans lived in the same world, Sokka. A world where spirits like Tonrar, spirits like Koh wander freely."

"So knowing you'd disagree he decided to cut out the middle man," Toph said, curling her lip. "What a coward."

At that, however, Aang shook his head, and sighed heavily. "No, it sounds like Tonrar has a right to be angry."

"You're kidding, right?" Sokka deadpanned.

"I'm not." Aang drew his knees up beneath his chin, wrapping his arms around his leg and staring out at the moon lit sky. "Thousands of years ago, near the beginning of it all I guess, the Avatar of that time broke the connection between the two worlds completely. They made it law that no spirit or human could cross into the other's world. And that same Avatar gave Tonrar the job of punishing any human that would break that law."

"Punish?" Katara asked. Aang kept his gaze forward, the words he was about to say leaving a bad taste in his mouth long before they left it.

"Tonrar would trap them. And he would consume their soul."

"The Avatar was ok with this?" Suki asked, her voice hushed. The corner of Aang's mouth twitched and he scowled.

"I guess so. But that's not all, you see in order for a human to cross over into the spirit world they need to have a spirit bound to them. Like I do."

"Iroh explained," Toph said. "And he said that Tonrar was able to control those spirits, that's how he's able to control you."

"And that's where those benders came from," Suki added. "Iroh said that a souless body doesn't fade, but carries on forever ..." Aang felt himself pale, and a sick sensation came to his stomach.

"To control them he must have ordered the spirits back into the bodies," he said quietly. "The spirits care for the souls they bond to, and Tonrar had them trapped in their empty shells."

"Which leads me back to your last point," Sokka said, shivering slightly at Aang's words. "Why exactly does Tonrar have a right to be angry? So what, an Avatar asked him to punish humans who entered the spirit world, but it doesn't exactly sound like Tonrar didn't enjoy it, does it? The psycho eats human souls, forces spirits to walk around in corpses, uses you like a puppet, and he has a right to be angry?"

"That's not the point, Sokka," Aang replied, looking across at him, his brow furrowed. "Spirits aren't like humans, they don't think the same, and they don't have the same amount of choice that we do. Tonrar did his job, as he was told by a more powerful spirit. He punished the humans that came into the spirit world, and the spirit that came with them, and to break that bond caused the spirit so much pain that Tonrar could feel it. Imagine if you were given the role to torture something like that over and over and over again? In learning that he could control the spirits he also started to feel their pain, and severing the bonds between human and spirit hurt him too. He doesn't want to connect the two world together to hurt humans, he just doesn't want there to be any more suffering!" He made a frustrated growl before burying his head in his hands, shaking it furiously. "I have to stop Tonrar, I may have to kill him to do it. But he's right. The Avatar-" he spat the word- "turned him into what he is, and the Avatar is responsible for all those spirits being torn from their human souls, for all the pain that it's caused."

Sokka's expression fell blank, though his silence following Aang's words were telling. Katara was watching him intently, and he knew exactly what she wanted to say to him. She wanted to tell him that wasn't the same person as the Avatar that had originally given Tonrar the task to capture and punish the human souls and their spirit companions, he knew that she wanted to assure him that he wasn't nothing like that Avatar of the past and that he was able to make his own choices. He knew what she wanted to say to him, and he knew that she believed it, that he should too, but none-the-less it gave him little comfort. It didn't matter how alike he was, or was not, to his past lives. What mattered was that it was the Avatar that turned Tonrar into the beast he was, and it was now down to him, the Avatar also, to stop him.

"So, how can you stop Tonrar?" Toph asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft. She was still sat beside Iroh, holding the water skin out for him to drink from when he found the strength. Aang knew that they would surely expect him to have a good answer to that, to tell them with utter confidence the plan that he had in mind, but the truth was he hadn't one. He was not ready to fight another spirit, not after the Old General, and he certainly wasn't ready to kill one, but did he really have little choice otherwise? When he had last been in this position, a miracle had presented itself to him, and he had been gifted the knowledge to take Ozai's bending from him, to put an end to his tyranny. But he couldn't expect a miracle this time. Further more, he didn't know how to kill a spirit. Sure, he had seen General Zhao kill the Moon Spirit, and he had used his bending to do it. But, for all her power, the Moon Spirit had been in the body of a fish, and was brute strength enough to kill a spirit like Tonrar? A spirit who still seemed to have one foot in the spirit world. His companions watched him, waiting for his response, and he could only manage to shake his head.

"I don't know," he said at long last. The flash of exasperation passed across Sokka's face, but the warrior did not voice his opinions, for which Aang was most grateful. "As I said, I think I am going to have to kill him."

"But, Aang-"

"I know," Aang interrupted Katara, looking back out to the stars. "I know."

"Tonrar will have followed us into this world," Iroh said, his voice weak but his eyes twinkling brightly. "And in this world he will be physically vulnerable. It's the best chance that you will have, Aang."

Aang didn't respond, and simply kept his gaze up at the starlight.

The remainder of the trip to Chameleon Bay passed in comparative silence. Sokka sat at Appa's head, obviously lost in thought himself as he gently steered Appa towards their destination, and Iroh sat with his eyes shut, his body resting. Aang and Katara, it seemed, were unwilling to stray even a foot away from one another, and she sat in front of him whilst he wrapped his arms around her, his head resting against her shoulder. Absently she stroked his forearm, and he could tell that her mind was troubled, and he felt guilty beyond measure for having frightened her as much as he had by going into the spirit world.

In time, Chameleon Bay came into view. The two high crescent spits of land curled around the pool of sea water, which lapped gently against the sandy shoreline, and Aang quickly saw the advantage that Sokka felt this location would give them against Tonrar. The steep rocky side of the crescents would be difficult to scale, but they offered an incredible vantage point over the entire of the bay as well as cover for them to hide behind, and with Aang and Katara bending the ocean, anyone who entered that Bay would quickly find themselves trapped. The presence of all that earth also meant that it would be possible for Toph to unleash a torrent of rock upon their foe, and for a second he allowed himself to imagine that it might work. Sokka had certainly found them a fine prize.

"You could feel Tonrar before he got to us at the Air Temple, right?" Sokka asked Aang, as they alighted upon the sand. Aang nodded, casting one last glance up at the sky. "So in theory we'll have time to prepare ourselves."

"We should run through the plans now," Aang replied, now dropping from Appa's saddle and looking out towards the Bay. "We need to trap Tonrar here-" he gestured to the sand around them- "water on one side, earth and fire on the other." He looked up at the steep walls around them. "Katara and I are going to need to be on either side of the Bay, we can control the water better that way." He looked over at her, somewhat sternly. "You've got to stay in my eye line, ok?"

Katara rolled her eyes, feigning irritation, but mercifully did not argue. "Aang, I'll be fine. If anything you better stay in mine."

But Aang had not told her the words that Tonrar had screamed at him as he had escaped from the spirit world. She had not heard the multiple threats that Tonrar had already made to her life, and though she had twice been in his clutches he was certain that she still did not truly realise just how Tonrar could use her to finally get to Aang. And a dark part of Aang's mind, the part that paced back and forth hungrily, knew that his desire to protect her would be what led him to kill Tonrar. To break his oath as an Air Nomad.

"I'm with Aang," Sokka said, interrupting Aang's thoughts. "You two either side. Iroh and Toph attacking from the rear, hopefully a combined fire and earth attack will keep him busy."

"What about you non-benders?" Toph asked, with a smirk.

"Don't you worry about us," Suki said, crossing her arms across her chest. "Here's hoping Tonrar underestimates us just about as much as you do."

Toph held her arms up in defeat, but the smirk did not leave her lips.

That night that ran through several drills, allowing Iroh to thoroughly rest as they chose the key locations for them to launch their attack, and it was nearing the early hours of the morning before they retreated back to the beach, exhausted. Before they went to sleep, however, the group were keen to heard Iroh's account of what had happened in the spirit world. Mercifully, the retired general seemed to have improved greatly, the colour back in his skin and the easy smile back to his lips, and with gusto he recounted all that had transpired in the spirit world. Even Aang had listened curiously, having missed much of what had happened at the start, and admitting that Iroh was a far better story teller than he perhaps ever would be. Soon enough Iroh had mentioned that he had hoped that Koh would arrive, and Aang had sat up straight.

"Why in spirits name would you want to see Koh?" He asked, surprised.

"We were friends, of a sort," Iroh replied easily, and Aang felt his jaw drop.

"Friends? We are thinking of the same spirit here, right? Lots of legs, looks like a bug, steals faces?"

"Well, I supose he enjoyed hearing my tales," Iroh said. "For whatever reason Koh never tried to harm me, I would have found it somewhat comforting for the old spirit to have been to hand."

Confused, Aang had sat back, and Iroh had continued with his story. He could not fathom how anyone would consider Koh a friend ... sure, it was in a past life, but it was hard for the Avatar to forgive a the spirit that had stolen the face of his wife, and that would have gladly stolen his own but a few years ago. But speaking of Koh had left his mind unsettled once more. Avatar Kuruk had tried to free his wife, but he had been unable to once he had realised that killing Koh would have, in turn, lost him the soul of his wife forever. What would be the punishment for he, Aang, killing Tonrar? And would it not fall down onto Koh to once more punish the Avatar as he had in the past? Katara leaned against him, listening with wide eyes just as everyone else was, unaware of the turmoil going on in his head. The many ways that he could lose her ...

He jumped at the sounds of cheers and laughter, and blinking quickly he looked around at his friends. Iroh was smiling proudly over at him. "Yes, I would have very much have liked to have been the one to have hit Tonrar too," he said. "But these old bones aren't what they used to be, and Aang got there first."

Dawn came by the time Iroh had finished telling his tale. It wasn't perhaps wise for them to have stayed awake for so long, but they were all ready and primed with the knowledge of Aang and Iroh's encounter with Tonrar in the spirit world. They were, perhaps, as prepared as they could be, and with Aang being able to detect Tonrar they would still have time to get into position even if they did allow themselves a short nap. Toph had already laid her head down on the sand, and was snoring lightly. Sokka and Suki had broke free of the group, retreating to the earth tent that Toph had erected for them hours previously, and Katara herself had drifted off to sleep, her head resting on Aang's lap. Iroh was still sipping the last of his tea, and Aang was keen to take advantage of the fact that it was just them remaining awake.

"Do you really think I can stop him?" Aang asked softly, trying not to rouse Katara. "He's not like Ozai ... he was a human who messed with the balance of the world. Tonrar is a spirit ... an ancient one, how can the spirits allow for me to kill him?"

"Why would they not?" Iroh asked, cocking his head to one side. "Aang, you seem to forget that you are part spirit yourself. Arguably, you yourself are the most powerful spirit in the spirit world, and it was your spirit that originally tasked Tonrar with his role. If anyone has the right to stop Tonrar, it is you."

"The right?" Aang asked, his lips curling distastefully. "I don't have the right to kill anyone, Iroh."

"No, but your spirit does," Iroh answered sadly. "And I am afraid in a case like this you must let your Avatar spirit lead the way."

"How do you even kill a spirit?" Aang asked bitterly. "Avatar Kuruk wasn't able to defeat Koh."

"But for different reasons," Iroh responded softly. "Koh told me of Kuruk. He would often slip between his different faces, and though I vowed not to ask about any of them, there was something about the face of the water tribe woman that left me curious. He told me that Kuruk had tried to slay him, that he had perhaps gotten closer than anyone in the past, but that to kill Koh was to kill his wife, and Kuruk had not been able." Instinctively Aang tightened his grup around Katara, something that Iroh did not miss, and he watched him intently.

"You are a very different man from Kuruk," Iroh said. "You are proactive in your attempts to restore balance and keep the peace, you fight for your friends and for the world. Kuruk died young of guilt and a broken heart, his mistakes will never be your own."

Looking down at Katara he could very well imagine that it was possible to die of a broken heart. If Koh were to take her from him ... if Tonrar were to hurt her ... his soul just wouldn't have the strength to carry on.

"You'll find a way, Aang," Iroh continued. "The spirits favour the brave. Now, sleep. Even the Avatar needs his rest."

With a small grunt, Iroh got to his feet and went to his own small earth tent, his back still slouching with the exhaustion he still must feel. Toph lay nearby, still snoring peacefully, and for a second Aang wondered if he should move her into her tent. However, as kind as his intentions were, he was sure that he would recieved a strong punch for his troubles. Instead, he gently slipped from underneath Katara, pulling a blanket from one of the packs and laying it over the earth bender. He then turned back to Katara, was in her own exhaustion remained in a deep sleep, and a pained smile rose to his lips. He was frightened. He did not know what the future held. But she was here, now, and he would do all he could to protect her. Carefully he placed his arms under her neck and legs, hugging her to his chest as he carried her to her tent, laying her down on the sand. He knew the decent thing to do, certainly with her brother sleeping so close by, would be to retreat to his own tent, but the thought of leaving her to sleep on her own seemed insane given all they'd been through, and so he took off his outer robe, ready to place it over her as a blanket.

"You're going to catch your death," a soft voice whispered, and he looked down to see that Katara had woken, and was looking up at him.

"I was trying not to wake you," he sighed, laying beside her, propping his head up on his arm.

"You're much too clumsy," she said with a smile. "Is everyone else asleep?"

"Yeh, I think so," Aang whispered back. "Iroh just went off to his tent, the others have been asleep for a while now."

"Good," she replied. "Close the tent."

"What for?" Aang asked, but his question was answered in the most wonderful of ways by her rolling him onto his back and straddling him. His brow rose in surprise, but before he could utter a single word she swooped low and pressed her lips against his. It didn't take long for his arms to wrap around her and pull her body flush to his, mouths widening and tongues dancing that familiar dance. As his hand slipped down to her hip, however, she reached down and grabbed his wrist, causing him to open his eyes and see her raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"The tent?"

"Oh, right!" Reaching out with one of his legs he kicked the side of the stone tent, causing the front of the tent to shut in on itself and plunging them into semi-darkness, the only light coming from the crack running along the top of their make-shift tent. He heard her laugh, before they crashed back together again.

It was midday when Aang woke, the bright light slithering through the tent hitting his eyes and rousing him from his deep sleep. Katara lay curled up beside him, her head on his chest, and the pair still naked beneath his robe after they had passed out from exhaustion. He smiled contentedly, knowing that in spite of all that he had been through he was still perhaps the luckiest man alive to have a woman like Katara sleeping beside him. He couldn't hear anything outside of the tent, and after the long night he didn't think it was unreasonable to assume that he was the first of them to wake. With a soft sigh he pulled the robe tighter around the pair of them, allowing himself to enjoy her warm skin against his own.

So far he had yet to feel Tonrar. He had been allowed a night with Katara, no interruptions, no pain, no growing rage in his chest, and truth be told he felt it was far more than he deserved. Then, as if on that very cue, it hit him like a strike of lightning to his chest. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes snapped open, his body on instant alert. There was the familiar crawling across his skin, but he knew that something was different, not right. It didn't feel so much like Tonrar was trying to invade his body and his mind, there was no accompanying sense of rage, instead he felt as though old scars were aching, his body reacting only to Tonrar's presence, and not trying to defend itself against a coming onslaught. He lay there for a moment, eyes wide and breathing fast, the sensation growing stronger and stronger before, all at once, it began to lessen. He frowned, gently moving Katara to the side and sitting up. It made no sense, it was almost like Tonrar had found him and then, for some inexplicable reason, had decided to pass him by. Perhaps, a cold fist gripped around his stomach, Tonrar wanted Aang to follow.

"Katara." He turned to her, reaching out and gently nudging her shoulder. With a deep breath her eyes opened, and she looked up at him with a smile.

"Morning," she said, the corners of her mouth curling playfully and her sleepy eyes sparkling. He flirtations were short lived, however, when she saw the somewhat panicked look on his face, her smile dropping and her sitting up, holding Aang's robe to her. "He's coming?"

Aang shook his head, then stopped, frowning deeply. "I ... I don't know. He was but now I think ... I think he's gone past us."

Katara blinked, her expression conveying the confusion that he felt. "Gone past us? I don't understand, why would he not attack us?"

"I think maybe he wants me to follow him."

"Don't be insane!" Katara hissed at once, eyes wide with alarm. "Aang, it's a trap, of course it is!"

"What if I don't have a choice?" Aang pleaded. "What if he hurts people?"

She considered him, her eyes flicking across his face, before her shoulder slumped and she sighed. "You're probably right about that. Come on, we need to wake everyone else up."

In a matter of minutes the pair of them had dressed and woken their friends, and the group stood huddled on the beach, looking around them and up at the sky, no doubt expecting to see Tonrar swooping down on them at any moment. Toph stood dead still, her head lowered slightly as if she was listening to the ground very intently.

"What's going on?" Sokka asked, rubbing his hands against his arm and shivering the chill air. "Is he coming?"

Aang, now he was out in the open, felt only stranger. It seemed as though his hackles were up, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as a burning discomforting sensation sat on his back.

"He was. But now he's gone past us."

Brows raised in surprise, and Sokka cocked his head to the side in, a confused frown on his face. "Gone past us? Why? Which way?"

Aang turned, following the sensation on his back, and feeling with clear clarity that Tonrar influence was certainly stronger from across the Bay, out towards the ocean. Out towards ...

"South."

As he said that, the words Tonrar had screamed back in the spirit world came back to mind; _I will destroy his home, I will destroy his love, and I will destroy you!_ His blood ran cold and he knew, with complete clarity, that Tonrar was headed to the Southern Air Temple. Katara, too, seemed to realise the importance of this, and she grabbed his sleeve.

"Aang, the Southern Air Temple ..."

"I know."

The group watched him, and he looked south, his mind alight as his thoughts raced. Tonrar would almost certainly destroy the Temple, burn it, break it down brick by brick with the help of his benders, and he would take away from Aang one of the few links he had left to his people, to his past, his childhood. And after he had done that he would wait, wait for Aang to arrive thirsty for revenge. His hands gripped into fists and his nostrils flared, the anger snarling in his chest for once being his own.

"Aang? What do we do?"

He looked down at Katara, who had been watching him intently.

"It's like you said," he replied. "It's a trap. And I'd be crazy to fall for it."

"But it won't stop at the Southern Air Temple," Toph said, looking up for the sand, her blind gaze resting upon him. "If we don't go to him he'll just carry on, and spirits knows what else he'd destroy waiting for you to face him."

"She's right, Aang," Iroh added, shaking his head sadly. "I hate to go looking for a fight but, in this case, I think we need to stop him before it's too late."

Doubtfully, Aang looked back at Katara. "What do you think?"

She bit her lip, looking between Aang and their friends. Her turmoil was evident, torn between her need to keep him safe, and her desire to finally be rid of Tonrar, but he trusted in her, she had yet to steer him wrong, and if he could not trust in himself he knew that he could her. She looked into his eyes for a moment before shutting her own and sighing.

"We should go," she said at last. "This could be our last chance to stop him before he kills more people."

This decision was not an easy one for either of them, but he had ignored her advice in the past to his folly, and with his jaw stiff he nodded, looking back at the group.

"Get everything packed, we're leaving now," he said gravely. He turned to Iroh. "Are you coming with us? It's a long way from Ba Sing Sei."

"I'm with you all the way, Aang," Iroh replied, bowing slightly.

"But the Temple is weeks away," Sokka said, shaking his head. "He'll get there before us, what if we're not in time?"

"I'll do what I can," Aang said, holding his hand up to Appa who walked over to join them. "I think I can go into the Avatar State safely now." After quickly gathering the most important supplies the group, numb and confused, climbed back into Appa's saddle. Aang stood at the bison's front, placing a hand on the beasts great nose. "This may be frightening, buddy," he said softly, as Appa's large brown eyes looked into his. "But you've got to trust me." Appa grunted, pressing his face briefly against Aang.

Aang jumped to Appa's head and took the reins, looking over his shoulder to check that everyone was seated and secure. Taking a deep breath, he turned his head back ahead of him and closed his eyes. He hadn't attempted going into the Avatar State by choice since before he had been forced into it by Tonrar, and there was still a huge concern as to whether he could still do so and maintain any sort of control. But Tonrar's pull on his was weak, and his Avatar Spirit had fought Tonrar's control once before and succeeded, if there was ever a time to try it was now. After all, if he did not, then he could most certainly find his home flattened to the ground. He sat straight in the saddle, shutting his eyes and letting his body ease and relax, allowing that familiar sensation of power flow between his chakras, bursting from his center to the ends of his fingers. His tattoos began to glow and, when he opened his eyes, a flash of brilliant blue lit the mists of the beach. The power he held was brilliant and terrifying, but for the first time in a long time he had control over it. He summoned a ball of air around Appa that lifted him from the ground, swirling somewhat furiously around them and causing Sokka to grab hold of one of the bags that threatened to fall over the side. Appa growled nervously, the sound rumbling beneath them, and Aang placed a glowing hand onto his fur to calm him before looked back over his shoulder, eyes still glowing, and speaking with a hundred voices, _"hold on."_

He raised his arms, lifting them still further from the sand, before he made a sharp propeller-like action with his hands, causing the wind sphere to spin wildly and, with startled cries from those behind him, they were hurtled forwards. Much like he would with his air scooter, Aang kept the ball spinning, throwing them faster and faster through the air and over the cold ocean.

For several hours the group traveled in this way. The speeding air collected from above the ocean left them freezing and damp, but whilst Katara and the others could huddle and protect themselves from the elements, Aang remained at Appa's head, pushing them forwards. The glow had gone from his eyes and tattoos as he had eased into his mastery of the Avatar State, for once now one hundred percent in control, and though his body was beginning to tire, the adrenaline from being in control of the power that flowed in his veins kept his blood pumping and urged him onward. He had yet to feel the sting of Tonrar's presence, something that gave him both relief and fear. He had no idea how far ahead of them Tonrar was, but at the speed it seemed unthinkable that they had not been able to catch up with him yet. Somehow Tonrar must have been able to travel even faster through their world. He could already be there, already tearing Aang's home to the ground. He imagined the fires burning in the Southern Air Temple once again, the remains of his people crumbling to dust, the airball pitch collapsing in itself and the temples falling from the edge of the mountain, and his thoughts were distracted only by Appa roaring loudly to him, and he realised that his anger had fueled another burst of speed that was far beyond what Appa could tolerate. As he slowed, he realised that his arms were beginning to shake with the effort, and he wondered how much longer they could travel this way.

Another hour passed before Aang finally felt the sting of Tonrar ahead, and the shock of it caused him to drop his control of the Avatar State, ragged gasps coming from his mouth as his exhausted arms dropped to Appa's fur. The sphere of air around them began to disperse, their speed dropping and Appa sounding all to grateful for it. Katara was quick to come to Aang's side, a hand falling on his shoulder as she leaned forward to look him in the eye.

"Are you ok?"

"I'll be fine," Aang replied, still panting as he wiped an arm against his sweaty brow. "But we're close, and so is Tonrar."

The rest of the group came to the front of the saddle, each looking for signs of Tonrar ahead. The high mountains of the beautiful land in which the Temple's were to be found were now visible ahead of them, climbing high up into the foggy sky, but it would be a short distance further before they could see the brilliant white and blue spiral spires of the Southern Air Temple. The pain across Aang's skin increased, but it was still very much weaker than what he had encountered in the past, and it worried him. It either meant that he was finally starting to repel Tonrar's energy, or that Tonrar had already destroyed the Temple and moved onto his next target. He hoped desperately for the former.

His hopes were to be crushed, however, when the Southern Air Temple finally came into view. They were met, not with with white and blue spires, but with smoke. The old dorm and the other sacred buildings have not been torn down, but there were great craters in their sides from which fire billowed. The smell of burning vegetation and wood hit them, the thick black smog causing their eyes to water, and Aang could do nothing but sit at Appa's head and stare blankly ahead of them. He had been too late.

"Aang?"

Katara was still at his side, her hands gripping his tightly, her voice shaking with emotion. The others sat in silence, and Appa, crying mournfully, flew the perimeter of the old Temple of which very little stood that wasn't beaten or in flames.

"Where is he?" It was Sokka who spoke, leaning over the edge of the saddle and looking through the smog with squinted eyes. Aang, too, wondered this. The loss of the Temple was something that he was sure would give him many a sleepless night to come, but for all the pain he felt looking down at what remained, he could only manage one thought. _Where next?_ He shut his eyes, and focused on the pain, the itching across his skin, trying to work out where it was strongest, where Tonrar was leading him. It was hard to think over the sound of the Temple stones crashing to the ground, the crackling of the crop fields burning, the sound of birds crying out alarm calls, but he could still feel Tonrar. The sensation growing weaker as he went further, but present none-the-less, and his eyes opened with a snap, blood rushing to his head when he realised the direction Tonrar was going.

He hadn't the time to explain, he couldn't spare another thought on the Temple. He grabbed Appa's reins and pulled a distressed bison sharply to the left, panic rising.

"Appa yip yip!"

"Wait, were are we going?" Sokka ran forward, grabbing Aang by the shoulder. "Can you still feel him?"

Aang didn't know how he could tell Sokka the truth. But Katara's face had darkened, and she sat heavily back down, a shaking hand raising to her mouth.

"What? Katara what is it?"

She could only manage to shake her head weakly, and she looked up at her brother, eyes sparkling with the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"South."

Sokka looked back at her, his expression defiantly dumb, shaking his head vigorously. "No," he said. "No, he wouldn't ... he ..." His hand fell from Aang's shoulder, and Aang looked back at him.

"Sit, I'll get us there as fast as I can."

Numbly Sokka sat opposite Katara, and Suki grabbed his hand tightly. With another tired, shaky breath, Aang pushed himself into the Avatar State once more, and hurtled them onward.

His mastery of the Avatar State was tenuous, and the panicked racing of his thoughts only made things more difficult. It had been one thing to destroy his home, but now Tonrar was headed to the South Pole, fresh with violence, destruction, anger, and the desire to break Aang to pieces. _If Tonrar got there before them ..._ it hurt so badly to think about it, but think about it he did. In his mind he saw bodies in the snow, fires from the huts and houses, he heard people crying and screaming, he saw flames circling around the survivors, pushing them deeper and deeper into the center of the village until there was no escape, until they would all be burned, every single one of them just like his people in the past. Fire danced in his vision, and it took him a moment to realise that it was he that had produced it, flames licking his arms as they burst forth from his clenched fists. But there was no time to calm down, he had to get there, he had to before Tonrar took what little remained of Katara and Sokka's family from them. The siblings still sat in silence, and he knew all too well the fear they felt in their chests.

It wasn't long before fear wasn't the only thing Aang had to contend with. In the space of an hour they had arrived, and along with it a searing pain that caused him to cry out, dropping the reins and abruptly the sphere around them broke, sending Appa spinning through the air as he fought to control the momentum. He tried to regain control, but the world around him began to shake, his head humming so much that it felt as though it would burst. Appa collided heavily with the ground, and the group were thrown from the saddle, and Aang felt himself rolling across the snow before he came to a halt, still gasping for air and curled up against the pain. It was like nothing he had ever felt before ... the rage, the power, the pain, the panic. Wherever Tonrar was he was throwing his energy wide around him. Katara was at his side, yelling his name, but Aang could only curl in tighter, his hands grabbing his head to try and shield himself from the pain. There was movement around him, yelling, screaming perhaps. And then, at once the pain ended, and Aang was left panting in the snow, his body shaking.

"Aang, Aang it's ok, it's ok."

He pushed Katara aside, rolling round and vomiting onto the snow.

"No no no no no ..."

He could hear Sokka whimpering, see him pacing in the corner of his eye. If he wasn't already on the ground, he was sure that he would have collapsed, the knowledge of what had happened sinking in even through the fog of pain.

"NO!" Sokka roared now, and Suki ran forward, grabbing him by the arm.

"No, Sokka, you can't! You could be killed!"

"I don't care!" Sokka yelled, trying to push her aside. "I need to get over there, I need to help!"

"You don't know what could happen-"

"I don't care, get off me!"

"Sokka, please." A small sob reached Aang's ears, and Katara stepped forward, reaching out to her brother. His skin still burning, Aang wiped his mouth and looked up. On the horizon thick black smoke rose into the sky, and the faint sound of screaming hit him.


	16. We Welcome Death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character death, I'm afraid.

Sokka's figure grew smaller as he ran off towards the thick black smoke rising into the blue sky, and Suki ran after him, unable to hold him back but unwilling to let him go into battle alone, her hand gripped tight onto Toph's as the earthbender followed blindly. He felt hands on his shoulders, and he could see Katara standing just in front of him, her wide tear-filled eyes darting from him to the direction of the yells and screams as her village faced an attack they had had no idea was coming. His eyes saw everything, but the high pitched whistle in his ears, the aftermath of Tonrar's attack on him, and the horror of what was before him left him unable to act, to even move. Katara was torn, her hands in her hair as she fought back her own panic.

"Aang, I ... you have you stay here, do you understand me? You can't come, it'll make things worse! I just- I have to go!"

She gave him one last panicked look, before taking off after her brother, turning the snow beneath her into ice and she skated across the surface.

"K-Katara-"

"She's right, Aang. Having just seen the affect Tonrar had on you just now it's important that you stay here," a voice said, and Iroh crouched in front of him, hands on his shoulders and forcing Aang to look into his face. "If Tonrar pushes you into the Avatar State now all could be lost. You have to stay." Aang blinked, mouthing wordlessly in his shock. Gently Iroh shook his shoulders. "Aang, I need you to say you understand."

"I- I understand."

As soon as Aang replied Iroh turned, fire licking his heel as he chased after the rest of them across the snow. Aang was left alone, aside from the fearful groans and chatters of Appa and Momo behind of him, his body still shaking. He could hear the sounds of battle, as just over the hill the tribe fought for their lives, he heard the tremendous sounds of earth shaking, and flashes of great light as fire burned high and violent. He couldn't see Tonrar, but he could hear him. He could hear his cold high laughter, and he knew that the Southern Tribe was losing the fight, and there was nothing that he could do about it. A wild rage flew over him, and with a loud yell he smashed his fists into the snow, his body hunched over as he panted heavily. He couldn't just stay here, just cower and quake as his friends fought his battle. He would not. He raised his head, eyes glinting furiously as he bared his teeth, the animal inside him visible for all to see. Momo began to screech, and he flew forwards, grabbing hold of Aang's robes as if trying to pull him away, but Aang ignored him and climbed to his feet, eyes slit as he glared up at the black smog growing taller and taller. Breathing heavily he started forward, and began to run over the hill.

The sight that met his eyes would have reduced him to the ground once more were his body not so pumped of adrenaline. The village was all but destroyed, fires lit the houses, families and children ran crying for cover, he could see Sokka, Suki and Hakoda fighting off several benders together, he could see Toph making use of the already destroyed homes and firing bullets of rock towards any of the benders that she could detect. Iroh tried to contain the flames, ushering people to safety, whilst others charged forwards to defend their homes. But none of that compared to what he was about to witness, and the scream that would hit his ears.

Katara was visible, and she was running with a smaller woman, hunched over and slow, and he realised that it was her Gran Gran that she was trying to protect. He was ready to attack, to help and protect her as well, but in slow motion he saw Tonrar, laughing as he did so, raise his hands into the air. Two cloaked benders cut Katara off and, even as she raised the water to fight, the ice below her rose into the air and a funnel of fire was cast in her direction. Even as he ran, even as Katara raised a shield of water, he saw as the great burst of flame enveloped Kanna. He heard Katara's screams, as she fell beside the body, heard Tonrar laugh louder, and his mind went red.

Screaming in rage Aang took a running jump, and landed in the show between Tonrar and Katara, the force of it sending the spirit flying back into the air, red eyes wide with surprise. Aang didn't want for him to land before he raised a fist, sending heavy sections of snow straight at Tonrar's chest, sending the spirit back further. He threw everything that he had, his head so full of anger and hatred that he could not think of anything other than causing Tonrar as much pain as he had caused him. Tonrar tried to hold up against the onslaught, face panicked as fire and shards of ice were thrown in his direction, his palms up as he called the benders to his aid. Aang felt snow rise and constrict around his leg, and with a snarl he pulled himself free, kicking down his heel and raising a sharp mass of ice beneath Tonrar. But even as Aang pulled away, more snow rose up, tightening around his legs, and his waist, and even has he threw more flames in Tonrar's direction he felt his arms grasped by yet more ice, several of Tonrar's benders now surrounding him, pulling up more and more ice even as Aang fought, and quickly Aang found himself unable to move, only glare at Tonrar as the spirit climbed to his feet, brushing the snow and ash from his robes.

Everything had fallen silent, aside from the sounds of small sobs. Panting Tonrar raised his chin, eyes wild as he grinned at Aang in triumph. He then looked over towards the village, raising an arm and sweeping it across, gesturing that Aang, too, should look. Nostrils flaring, Aang pulled his gaze from Tonrar and looked as far behind him as his position in the ice would allow. He saw a village destroyed, he saw people still running for cover. He saw Iroh looking over with despair, his arms hanging limp at his sides, whilst Hakoda, the side of his face covered in blood, stood wide eyed and disbelieving in Tonrar's direction. His friends watched with horror, but what caught his attention was Katara. She sat beside the burned body of her grandmother, her body slumped as she looked him in the eye, betrayed and defeated.

"What a surprise that the Avatar was so conceited as to think that they needed your help." The anger that had led him was quickly replaced with shame as Aang was unable to drag his eyes away from Katara. "You didn't save anyone, you didn't stop me. All you have achieved is making the death of your friends and the destruction of your world that much easier for me."

"Tonrar stop this!" Iroh stepped forward now, palms forward as he pleaded. "You don't have to do any of this!"

"Shut up you stupid old man," Tonrar spat, eyes flashing as he glared in Iroh's direction, and two of his benders stepped forwards, blocking Iroh's way. Aang still looked at Katara, blood and soot on her skin, her tears leaving tracks down her cheeks before, to his despair, she looked away, her face dropping to the ground. Before he could call to her, rough cold hands grabbed his face, sharp fingers digging into his jaw as Tonrar forced him to look at him, his wide smile revealing pointed teeth, and showing the red tattoos on his forehead to actually be deep welts in his very skin, beginning to glow.

"Don't touch them," Aang pleaded, his storm grey eyes connecting with the blood red that stared into him. "Do whatever you want with me, just let them go."

"The time has passed for bargaining," Tonrar said, his face softening as he looked down at Aang in an almost fatherly way. "You may have had help in the spirit world, Avatar, but here you are weak. You have nothing to threaten me with. And you will be completely under my control."

Aang tried desperately to fight against it, as the pain and anger in his stomach swell and grew the second Tonrar placed a long thin finger in the center of his tattoo, but Tonrar was right. Here he was weak, his soul was rendered broken, and his fight seemed to give. All hope left him, and his body felt, with a certain relief, that familiar beast snarling and rearing its great ugly head. He bared his teeth once more, as Tonrar took his hand away and stepped back, wind picking up around his body so strong that it shattered the ice that held him. His eyes and arrows then shone a brilliant blue, casting a light so vibrant that those around him had to shield their eyes, and then Aang was gone. The last part of him that had fought, the last of his kindness and love, was consumed, and standing straight, face now calm, the Avatar turned to face the remains of the village. Sokka was yelling, urging everyone to run, but it didn't matter. They couldn't run far.

"I don't even need the other spirits," Tonrar said, his voice filling Aang's head. "I only need you."

Fear never touched her heart as Katara watched Aang stand and turn his glowing gaze to her. Her hands were still covered in her grandmother's blood, her charred body lying motionless in the snow. She could hear Sokka yelling her name, Suki screaming for her hysterically as Aang stepped closer. She had lost everything. She had lost her grandmother, her home and now she had lost him, and she wondered why she should fight. Why she should climb out from the snow and save herself. She saw Aang raise a hand towards her, and she shut her eyes, welcoming whatever end would come, before a flash of bright light lit her lids and she snapped her eyes open to see a wall of orange flames burst up between herself and Aang, and a pair of hands grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Katara, please don't give up."

She looked round to see Iroh, expression pleading.

"Please, I know it seems like too much to cope with now, but we can fight this. Aang needs you now more than ever."

She looked back at the wall of flame, saw as it began to ease and the blue glow of Aang's eyes pushed through. Her eyes drifted back to her grandmother and she gently placed a hand one of her charred shoulders.

"Katara," Iroh pleaded. "I can't save him without your help."

She met his gaze, and saw his hand held out for her, and she realised that she couldn't give up. Not whilst there were people who still needed her. She took his hand and nodded, and swiftly Iroh pulled her to her feet, and the pair started to run back towards the rest, Sokka and Hakoda having begun to run forward to meet them. The flames behind them exhausted, as the Avatar slammed his fists into the snow. Katara looked round to see the ground beneath where her grandmother's body lay crack and spread, her body falling into the crater below as Aang indifferently passed over. Her heart wanted to scream, and she felt a pain the like of which she had never felt before, and would never feel again.

She all but fell into Sokka arms, and the young man gripped her hand tightly. His eyes sparkled with tears of their own, but his face betrayed no fear as he pulled her onward, and the group ran and ducked behind what remained of a larger hut.

"What do we do now?" Toph asked at once. "With Aang all glowy and shit how do we fight?"

A loud crack filled the air, as the Avatar lifted one of the buildings from its foundations, throwing it to where a group of tribesman hunkered, the three of them having to move fast to get out of the way.

"We can't stop the Avatar," Sokka replied, peeking around the corner of the building. "But we can stop Tonrar. We take him out, and Aang drops out of the Avatar State."

"Are you sure about that?" Suki hissed.

"It's all I've got!"

"You guys focus on Tonrar," Katara said. Her hands were shaking with adrenaline and fury, but determination sat proudly on her brow. "I'll take care of Aang."

"What?" Hakoda shook his head violently. "I have no idea what's going on here but there is no way you're going to face him!"

"If I don't who will?" Katara spat. "I know Aang, and I know how he fights. If you can't stop Tonrar then I need to bring Aang back."

"Katara, with all due respect Aang does not fight like this!" Toph yelled. And, on cue, the top of the building they had hidden behind exploded, showering them with rock and ash, Toph's bending the only thing that stopped all of them from being crushed behind the rubble. But, as the group dodged, pulling themselves away from the rock, Katara stepped forward, coming face to face with Aang, who stood calm and still before her. She heard her father calling for her, but there was no time to listen to anyone else, Iroh was right. They couldn't save Aang without her. She pulled the snow up before her, turning the tips to ice and she shot it towards Aang, aiming to push him back and away from her, but the Avatar simply raised a hand and the ice melted and turned to water that fell harmlessly to the ground. She couldn't let up, there was simply no option, and she raised the snow beneath him, only for the Avatar to lightly jump into the air and kick a funnel of air straight towards her that she had to throw herself to the side to escape it.

"Dammit, Katara!" She heard Sokka all but scream with exasperation, and saw the brilliant flash of a boomerang as he threw it at Aang. Suki was also quick to the attack, slicing one of her fans that soared low and true, but the Avatar ducked and dodged with ease. His blank face, however, slipped into a snarl as he raised the ground beneath them, throwing all three of the fighters back, Katara tumbling painfully onto her hip. She looked up just in time to see Toph throwing herself forwards.

"Oi, baldy!" The Avatar turned his attention to her, eyes narrowed and muscles flexing, and Toph swung two massive chunks of brick in his direction, throwing them in arcs so as to hit him on either side, but the Avatar simply raised his fists and smashed straight through the earth as it came towards him. Katara swung to her feet and threw a handful of ice daggers at his feet, hoping to trip him whilst he was distracted, but there was no way that any of them could get a hit on him. He casually kicked up more snow that melted her daggers, raising a hand and swatting Sokka's returning boomerang, smashing it against a hut.

"Katara, we have to get out of here," Sokka cried, as Suki grabbed him and forced him to duck as more ice came his way. "We just can't fight against him!"

"No, you go!" Katara replied angrily. "Go for Tonrar, I've got this!" She drew up a shield of ice behind her, cutting her friends off from Aang, and pulled up the snow, enveloping her arms with water, stepping back on her heels. The Avatar swung flames at her, but she was ready and with sharp snap her water whips cut through the fire. "Aang!" She cried. "I know you're in there!" With incredibly ease the Avatar swung a hand forward at her feet, fire causing her to jump and trip backwards, landing hard in the snow. She realised that he wasn't even trying. Sokka and Suki had succeeded in irritating him, but in his Avatar State he was just playing with them, destroying what remained of the village almost casually, and she noted the ghost of a grin on his lips. He was enjoying it. She shook her head violently. "You're better than this!" She screamed, and at that Aang turned sharply towards her, his faint smile turning into a grimace of hatred as he let out a loud inhumane roar, his voice shaking and trembling with the voices of the thousands of Avatar's before him. He spread his arms, his clawed hands facing each other, and with wide eyes she watched as he formed the nucleus that she had seen so many times before. She could hear Sokka and Suki yelling to her, begging for her to run, but she was transfixed. She could only stare as the man who she loved so dearly raise his arms in preparation, his fists bursting into flames as he swung them back, long tendrils of fire breaking free and slicing through the cold air. She watched as he roared again, throwing his fists forward, dead on target ...

"Move, Sugar Queen!" A shield of earth appeared in front of her, protecting her from his attack, and Toph pressed her hands upon it, firing sharp, fast bullets in Aang's direction. "He's not in there, ok? We have to go!"

"Katara!" Her father was at her side now, grabbing her arm. "She's right we've got to go!"

"No," Katara said firmly, pulling her arm roughly from her father's grasp. "He's in there, he has to be! I can't lose him too!"

"No, he's not!" Toph grunted through the effort of holding back Aang's attacks on the shield. "And I don't think I can hold him back any longer!"

Suddenly, the onslaught stopped, and the trio looked up nervously, Toph pulling back the rock so Katara and Hakoda could get a better look, letting the rest of it encase her fists. The Avatar was gone, no longer standing ahead of them in a whirlwind of fury.

"Wha- where is he?" Toph demanded, her feet digging into the snow in her effort to be able to see around her. Katara pulled the whips back up around her arms, looking back at her father who was casting his gaze around them, searching for their attacker.

"Guys, above you!"

Katara looked up to see the Avatar pelting down towards them, his entire form licked with flames and bright as a star. Hakoda grabbed her and Toph around the scruffs of their dresses and pulled them roughly out of the way, the three of them rolling painfully down the hill just quick enough to avoid the Avatar crashing into the snow, sending a wave of ice over them. Panting they climbed back to their feet, making their way back to Sokka, Suki, and Iroh. The Avatar, however, was soon to his feet, and a huge blast of fire charged at them, deflected only by Iroh, his limbs shaking with the effort to repel Aang's attack. Sokka was no longer willing to argue with his sister, and before Katara could protest he had grabbed her tightly around the wrist and began running, the others hot on their heel. Katara stumbled after him, her body numb and threatening to trip at any moment, but she hadn't the strength to pull against him. "Keep running!" Sokka roared. "Find Tonrar, forget Aang!" But then a wall of earth easily ten feet tall rose in front of them, blocking their escape as the group skidded to a halt. Toph growled angrily, raising her fists and ready to smash through the wall, but a column of air blasted her back. They turned to their left to keep running, but a second wall rose and flames licked the surface. Desperately Sokka dragged Katara to the right, but the third wall had already been erected, trapping them.

A laugh filled the air and they swung round to see Tonrar, his cloak billowing in the wind that circled Aang, who's face has now returned to it's emotionless facade, hanging motionless in front of them.

"There's no where else for you to go," Tonrar said, a malicious grin on his slender face. "I admit I find this entire thing rather tasteless, I don't enjoy killing. But your meddling must come to an end."

"Tonrar, stop-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Tonrar roared, his face twisting into an ugly snarl. "You did not have to be involved in this, none of you did! But now I have complete control over the Avatar and I am tired of chasing after you insects." Tonrar paused, then took a deep breath, as if trying to gather himself. He ran his hand down his face, and the snarl turned to a soft smile. "I will, however, inform each of your families what happened to you. Those of you that have family left, that is."

Katara watched in horror as he raised his palm towards Aang. A hungry look crossed his features, a manic grin spreading his lips, relishing in the certainty of their deaths. His hands curled into claws as he raised his arms, and spikes of ice shot from the ground beneath them, aimed for throats and chests. She felt her father pulling her close, and with the little water she could grab she tried to bring up a shield to block all that she could, but nothing came. No piercing pain, no laugh from Tonrar, no cries from her friends. She peered over her hands to see that the sharp ice stalagmites had stopped short of their mark, quivering slightly in the snow. She swung her gaze up to Aang who stood, arms shaking, and eyes shut tight. Tonrar stopped mid laugh, and looked incredulously towards Aang.

"For spirits sake, listen to me, boy!" He snarled, and he raised a second palm. Aang cried out in pain, sounding more like himself and less like the Avatar, and for a heart stopping moment the spikes grew closer before halting in their tracks once more. She took her moment.

"Aang." She stepped forward, her voice clear and calm as she looked up at him. "Fight him."

She watched his face twist in pain, tears trailing down his cheeks from his tightly shut lids, his arms shaking. But he was holding back. It was Tonrar's turn to snarl now, and he clenched his fists and twisted his arms, causing Aang to scream in pain.

"Fight him!"

Then, Aang's eyes snapped open. But instead of a glowing blue, piercing silver looked back at her, the whites of his eyes red and sore but the expression every bit his. His tattoos dropped their glow, and the walls and ice around them crashed into the snow. Aang soon followed, dropping softly back into the snow, the wind and fire around him dying down, his tattoos returning to normal, and he slowly pulled his gaze from her to look back at Tonrar. For the first time Katara saw very real fear in Tonrar's eyes, as the spirit took a step back, fists still raised as he tried and failed to regain control. But the Avatar was gone.

Aang was back.

It was as the Avatar raised his fists, the spikes of ice heading for the throats of his targets, that Aang felt the desperate urge to fight. He saw everything through a hazy red mist filled with pain and anger, and he saw as Sokka grabbed Suki to shield her. Saw Toph bravely reaching for the rock either side of them, and Iroh stepping in front of her to protect her. He saw Katara, her father pulling her close to him as a weak film of ice rose between them and the spikes, and an all new kind of panic stabbed at his heart. He was going to lose them, all of them. The people who he loved most in the world, who he would die for ten times over, were about to lose their lives at his hands. And for what? For a spirit who had used his own weaknesses, weaknesses that he should have controlled, against him? A spirit who was going to take all that he loved from the world without him so much as raising a hand in protest? He watched as he ice rose, saw his fists curling, and he stepped forwards through the fog of his mind, focusing on the sensation of his hands, the cold biting air that hit them, and with all that he had he stopped them from rising. A fresh wave of pain rushed through him as he fought to hold on, but hold on he did. He could hear Tonrar howling in his head, filling his senses, and for a moment it was almost too much, and he retreated back in fear, his fists rising once more. But then he heard another voice in his head. This one beautiful and strong and commanding him to fight. The pain now was more intense than any he had felt at Tonrar's hands before, but deep inside of him the light grew, his entire existence standing on this one truth that he had been told so long ago: _the true heart can tough the poison of hatred without being harmed_. He had believed it then, and he would believe it now. Whatever Tonrar put him through it could not change him, change his heart and the one it belonged to. He threw himself forward, bursting through the red veil, leaving the pain and anger far away with it, and his own eyes opened now to see Katara's blazing back at him.

The Avatar State gone, he dropped slowly to the ground, and his body suddenly felt with every intensity all that surrounded him. The chill of the air, the smell of smoke and sweat, the sound of hearts racing and snow rolling across the landscape. He could hear the breath of his friends, and one heartbeat so much stronger than the others, but what delighted him most was the very taste of Tonrar's panic in the air. He turned from his friends, his gaze now resting upon the spirit's, who's red eyes were full of fear. Desperately Tonrar raised both his hands, palm first, at Aang's heart, but no pain hit him, no growing anger, no reaction what so ever. Aang looked down at the back of his hands, his tattoos pale and unchanged, and he breathed easy, looking up once more to meet Tonrar's eyes.

The spirit lowered his arms, nostrils flaring as he seemed to calm himself, standing himself straight and true in the snow before the Avatar. His head cocked to one side as he regarded him and said, with utter honesty, "you'll have to kill me, Avatar. But we both know that you're not capable of that."

"I'm prepared to kill you, Tonrar," Aang replied quietly. "But I don't have to. Return to the spirit world, and I won't even have to fight you."

"I don't want your mercy!" Tonrar howled. "If you are prepared to kill me then kill me!"

There was desperation in his eyes, and for the first time Aang felt real pity for the spirit in front of him. There could never be an excuse for all that he had done, for the people he had killed and for the lives he had ruined, but it was the Avatar that had made him what he was. Tonrar was neither the first nor the last who would have their lives ruined by the Avatar.

"I can't rebuild the connection that was broken between our two worlds," Aang continued. "You know I can't do that. That I won't. But I can pardon you of your role in the spirit world, you can start again."

The frustration on Tonrar's face was evident, and with a yell he raised his arms, and around him the spirit benders formed. Not just the handful they had come across in the past but dozens of them, and all instantly launched into battle, aiming for Aang and his friends, as Tonrar aimed to force his hand he flashed back into the Avatar State. Before the group behind him could react he pulled up another wall, this time between them and himself, shielding them from the spirit's attack. He raised a solid chunk of ice from the snow and, with a kick, pushed the wall towards them, as the spirits were forced to jump into the air, twisting, and landing hard behind their master, who raised his hands again as the water benders pulled a carpet of snow up before them, protecting Tonrar from Aang's next attack.

Katara did not remain behind the wall, and she was already swinging into action, surfing the ice as she fired sharp daggers in the direction of Tonrar's shield, shattering it with ease. Aang took that moment to pull snow up and trap Tonrar to the ground, using another blast of air to push his spirit benders back and away from him. Katara was quick on their heel, and now the others were in on the fight, fire and earth and swords flashing as they plowed into the spirits. Tonrar tried desperately to control his spirits once more but Aang pulled the snow but further from the ground and tying Tonrar's hands to his side. He could see his control on the spirits fading as they began to lose their fight, unsure on how they could defend against the onslaught. But even as Aang took his attention from Tonrar for just a second, the ice smashed as Tonrar's form expanded with a thick black smoke. The spirit quickly turned on his heel and pelted across the snow, and growling with irritation Aang took after him, confident that Katara and the others could get handle on the spirits that remained. Tonrar's form returned to normal, and Aang was quickly able to catch up with him, his hand brushing back and throwing a curtain of air that threw Tonrar forward and onto the ground.

"You have one last chance, Tonrar!" He yelled, jumping and landing in front of Tonrar, baring his way. "Go back to the spirit world and I won't have to kill you."

"You have nothing to threaten me with," Tonrar snarled, pulling his face from the snow and glaring up at him. "Kill me if you like, I welcome death."

Aang approached him, looking down at the spirit laying defeated in the snow, his heart hammering. He had told himself that he could do it, that he would do it, but now the moment had come he could not. He thought back to the last time he had had the chance to kill his enemy, to take their lives away as so many others before him would have done, and the words of the lionturtle came back to him. _Since beginning-less time, darkness thrives in the void, but always yields to purifying light._ He thought back to Hei Bai, the fury that the spirit had shown and the darkness that have thrived in him, and he thought too of Iroh's words, _you yourself are the most powerful spirit in the spirit world._ Could he send Tonrar back? And could he take from him the power that he had learned in his darkest time in the spirit world? He saw Tonrar's eyes narrow, the spirit knew that he would not kill him. But Aang felt a calm come over his mind and body, and even as Tonrar rose to fight one last time, he stepped to him, one palm connecting with the spirit's forehead, the other with his chest. Tonrar's eyes widened, and as their spirit's connected Aang felt again all of the pain and rage that had been plaguing him, and he realised that his pain was nothing compared to the swirling dark pit of vehemence, of hunger, of hurt and loss and lust for vengeance that was held within Tonrar. A bright red light spread from Tonrar's chest, burning through the curled welts in his arms and forehead, and his mouth opened in a silent scream. Aang let his heart and soul fill with all the hope and joy and love that set him apart from the spirit before him, that gave him the power to defeat even the darkest parts of the void, and his eyes and tattoos glowed brightly until, with a final flash from each of them, the light faded. Aang took his hands from Tonrar and took a step back. Tonrar closed his mouth, his eyes and scars no longer burning red but a dull yellow as his body collapsed into the snow.

Aang looked over at his friends, seeing that now the spirits stood dead still, and their faces turned to look at him and Tonrar. His friends had weapons and hands lowered, watching too at the scene that had unfolded. Slowly, the spirits raised their hands and dropped their hoods, and Aang saw the blank faces of many lives that had long passed. There were airbenders, some with tattoos very different from his own but evidently Air Nomads from their shaved back heads and the location of their tattoos. There were others with scars upon their faces, some young some old, some beautiful beyond measure and others twisted and ugly, but united they stood, until slowly they began to walk forward, their gazes all upon Tonrar. Aang looked down at the spirit by his feet, and he saw as, exhausted, managed to pull himself to his knees, looking back at the spirits headed his way.

"It would have been kinder to kill me," he said, as the spirits began to surround the pair. "If you didn't punish me, there are others that will."

Aang stepped back as the benders pushed past him, forming a tight ring around Tonrar. He was able to see Tonrar, connecting yellow eyes with Aang one last time before the spirits descended upon him. He heard Tonrar's scream of pain, as their knotted mass became a black mass of smoke that twisted violently, until, with a loud crack and a flash of light, they and Tonrar's screams vanished, leaving the small curl of smoke behind them.

Breathing heavily Aang took one final step away from where Tonrar had lay, fighting back the urge to vomit yet again. He saw movement in the corner of his eye, and looked over just in time to see Katara lunging towards him, throwing her arms around his neck. He clutched her tight, letting the sobs come and the tears run freely down his face, and the pair fell to their knees as she too cried into his shoulder, her pain clear for the world to see.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered, his hands disappearing into her hear as he buried his face against her neck. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry ..."

The rest of them approached, watching the pair, as the smoke from the burning village passed over them.


	17. And Fear What You Have Found

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Major Kataangst. The finale of the series, I've uploaded all the chapters of Book One in one go as they are completed over on FF.net and I wanted to get to posting the chapters of Book Three in the series as I complete them. I'll post Book Two as soon as I can, which is also completed.

The little that remained of that fateful day was spent in much of a daze, his mind still numb from the events that had occurred, and confusion as to how he could ever possibly hope to fix all of the things that he had broken. For those that had seen Aang go into the Avatar State and attack their Chief, glares of accusation and fear were shot in his direction even as he helped to clear the mess. Once already he had tried to explain what had happened, and once was more than he could handle in one day. With Iroh's help, Aang had told Hakoda the events that had taken place over the past few months, explained why Hakoda had been unable to contact his children in the Fire Nation, why everyone believed that the Avatar had gone into hiding after what had transpired in the Fire Nation capital, he had attempted to describe the things that Tonrar had done, why he had chosen to come to the Southern Water Tribe and destroy their village. Hakoda had listened, his body still and his face blank, and though, when Aang had finished, he had bowed his head, Aang could not shake the feeling that Hakoda was perhaps more angry than he could express, and that it would be a long time before he was forgiven, if he would ever be forgiven at all.

But explaining to Hakoda had not been the hardest part of the day. After their tearful hug, Katara had pulled away from him, and despite the pain they shared he quickly sensed her doubt in him. Aang could remember all too well the way she had fallen to her grandmother's side, and though he knew no amount of apologizing could make up for his involvement in her death, he had not expected Katara to start shutting her walls to him so swiftly. Her brother, too, seemed unwilling to talk to him, and the warrior busied himself with tending to his father and his tribesmen. Things were only made worse when they had gone to recover Kanna's body, and Aang had seen the crater that he had created in the snow. His breath had caught in his throat, eyes wide and pained, and a quick glance at Katara had proved that she was struggling to deal with it, to deal with the way Aang, in his Avatar State, had so carelessly treated her grandmother's body. Body shaking Aang had stepped to the edge of the crater, looking down to see a sight that would plague him for the remainder of his life. Her small, broken body lay several feet below. There was no dignity in her appearance, a woman as great as Kanna did not deserve this kind of an end, and she did not deserve to have her body treated with such disrespect. He had held up his hand, shaking his head when Katara had approached, but she had pushed past him to see for herself. Aang had offered to help, to recover the body for her, but Katara had shook her head, not uttering a word as she set to work, her bending pulling snow together and raising Kanna's body to the surface. Miserably he had watched her. There was no anger in her expression, not even sadness, she looked cold and blank. Sokka and Hakoda had stepped forward at that point, and Iroh had placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, indicating that, as much as Aang wanted to, it was not his place to help with this matter. Father and children, the three water tribe people had carried Kanna away. It was only later that Aang would learn that Pakku was not in the village at this time. That an improvement in Kanna's health had urged him to travel to the North Pole to acquire the assistance of one of the healers and the water from the spirit oasis. Only upon his return would he learn of his wife's fate.

Kanna was not the only one to have lost her life in Tonrar's attack. Two others had been found burned or crushed, and away from the village graves were being prepared. It was then that people's frustration at Aang's presence became more evident. Bato, in all of the kindness he had showed Aang in the past, had broken free from the accusing crowd, as Aang had held back with Toph whilst Iroh and Suki went to help with the digging, and he approached, nostrils flaring. Toph had sensed the coming conflict, and had taken a step forward, placing herself close to Bato as he stopped in front of Aang.

"You shouldn't be here," the water tribe warrior said, and though his voice shook, he looked at Aang in a manner that did not invite argument.

"Hey!" Toph snapped, hands on her hips. "Those spirits would have torn your village to the ground if Aang here hadn't stopped them!"

"And I think we all know that those spirits wouldn't have been here at all if it wasn't for the Avatar," Bato spat that last word with such distaste that Aang winced.

"It's ok, Toph," he said, unable to keep eye contact with Bato, and looking down at the snow at his feet. "He's right. I'm sorry to have caused such distress." Aang bowed his head stiffly before turning on his heel and walking away from the graves, knowing that he would not be welcome at the funeral, either. Toph followed him, a deep scowl on her face.

"Seriously, Twinkletoes, don't listen to him. None of them have a damn clue in this backwards country, anyway."

"Toph," Aang said, with warning, as the pair stopped on the edge of the village, away from any of its citizens. "They've just lost their home, lost friends or family, and they don't know why. Give them some slack."

Toph scoffed and crossed her arms angrily across her chest. "Well, I'm not going to let anyone blame you for this, you hear?"

"But I am to blame," Aang sighed, looking back towards the clearing where people were beginning to gather. He could see Katara, standing beside her father and brother, and his heart began to ache.

"You should be over there," he added, looking across to Toph.

"What? No, I'm not leaving you out here on your own."

"It's their _grandmother_ , Toph," Aang insisted. "It isn't right that you're not there." At that, Toph sighed heavily.

"Fine, you're right. But you should be there too." Aang just shook his head, and Toph grudgingly walked towards the burial, her arms outstretched slightly and her feet digging into the snow with each step so that she could get her bearings, though looking all the more stubborn for it. When Toph was out of ear shot, he turned to the building closest that still stood, for the most part, intact, and deftly he climbed to its roof. It was at that point that he realised that he had lost the stolen glider he had taken from the spirit in the desert. He mused over how quickly he had gotten used to not carrying it with him, and with a bitter laugh he wondered if he perhaps even deserved such a sacred artifact any more. He stood at the edge of the roof and looked over towards the ceremony, he could just hear Hakoda's low voice.

"My friends and family," he began, "today has been ... In truth, I do not know what today has been. But I do know that, even in such lose and turmoil, I have never been prouder of those of you who stand by me today."

Aang looked away, covering his face with both hands as he tried not to listen to Hakoda's words, to know that they were only being spoken under this clear blue sky because of him. Miserably he stood through the sermon, until, at the very end, each of the members of the water tribe, plus Suki, Iroh, and Toph, stepped forward to place snow over the three graves. He watched as Katara stepped up last, as she gently patted the snow onto her grandmothers grave and, as she turned away, her gaze fell in his direction. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do. To reach out, to call, to rush to her side, but any opportunity to act was lost as she looked away from him and went to stand beside her father.

From that point, Aang chose to make himself scarce in the village. He was sure that his presence was only serving to make matters worse, and after Iroh had insisted that Hakoda suggested it, he retreated to the small house that Hakoda had made his own. The chimney was broken and fallen to the side, and one of the windows had been blown in, but on the whole it remained relatively intact and so he had entered. It had been a while since he had seen Katara. She had disappeared not long after the service, and as he stayed out of view and helped where no one could see him, he had been unable to keep track of where she had gone. The house was dark, no fires were lit, and it was still, no sign that anyone had entered the house. Quietly he took a seat by the fireplace, raising a hand to light a flame, when the softest sound of a sob grabbed his attention. He froze, looking back at the dark wooden staircase behind him, and heard again with clarity the sound of a choked sniffle. Heart beating fast he got to his feet, scaling the staircase softly so as to not make a sound, and saw one of the doors had been left ajar.

"Katara?"

He pushed gently against the door, and saw Katara sitting up on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chin and her eyes red and sore. She looked up at him, and a light grimace told him that she hadn't wanted him to find her here, as she looked away. But he could not leave her this way, and he pulled himself up onto the bed beside her, hesitating for a moment before putting his arm around her shoulder. She sat rigid, leaning away fro his grip, and he half expected her to ask him to leave, but then she buried her face in his chest and began to sob. He wrapped his other arm around her, his cheek resting against the top of her head, as he rocked her gently. "It's ok," he whispered. "Shh, it's ok."

They remained like this for some time, Katara sobbing into his robes, her shoulders shaking as he held her close to him. In time, her sobs died down, and her breathing slowed, and after the best part of an hour he realised that she had fallen asleep against him. Gently he wiped her wet hair back from her face, kissing her against her forehead, and noting with relief and calm she seemed in her sleep. "I'm sorry," he whispered to her. Tonrar had used him, fooled him, manipulated and read him, Tonrar had known him better than he had perhaps known himself, and as a result Katara had lost her grandmother. He had already been fighting a turmoil of emotions during the entire event, but now all he felt was guilt as he looked down at her. There was no relief that the fight was over, no hope that the future would be kinder, all that he could think of was the pain he had caused Katara, and the way that he had been so close to killing her. No, not just that. He had _wanted_ to, before he had broken through that haze he had welcomed the pain and the violent desires in his gut, and he realised that if Katara had not been there to stop him he would have killed his friends and he would have enjoyed doing so. He groaned, the desire that had burned through his veins a sensation that he didn't think he could forget, neither the fact that it had been close, too close.

He heard the front door opening downstairs and looked up, before hearing Hakoda tentatively calling for his daughter.

"Up here," Aang responded, his voice low so as to not wake the woman sleeping against his chest.

After a few moments Hakoda peered round the frame, pushing the door back with a slight frown on his face as he saw the two of them there. "Is she asleep?"

Aang nodded, looking down at her and brushing back the hair that had slipped in front of her face.

"Come on, let's put her to bed and let her get some rest."

Aang looked up, about to tell Hakoda that he would gladly stay here all night with her, but something about the man's tone stopped him. It had been gentle, as Hakoda often was, but he had clearly given Aang an order. Carefully Aang moved forward, keeping one arm around her shoulder and the other reaching to slide under her knees as, with a small gust of air, he landed softly in front of the bed. Hakoda quickly brushed past him, pulling back her blankets and adjusting her pillow, before Aang lay her down, lovingly pulling the blanket over her. For a moment he stood there, looking down at her peaceful face and sadness filled his heart, but a firm hand on his shoulder pulled him away and, with one last look of longing, Aang followed the chief down the stairs.

No one else was back yet, and as Aang lit the fireplace Hakoda opened a cabinet in the living room pulling out a bottle and two glasses. He placed them on the table by the fireplace before pouring the strong honey coloured liquid into each of the shot glasses, gesturing for Aang to sit with him.

"What's this?" Aang asked gingerly, sniffing at the glass.

"Mezcal," Hakoda replied. "It's from the Earth Kingdom, actually, a gift from Firelord Zuko after the War. Something I have always found ironic. The Fire Nation gifting the Southern Water Tribe with liquor no doubt stolen from the Earth Kingdom."

Aang looked up at him as the warrior uttered a short cold laugh, but Hakoda simply waved a hand, indicating that Aang should drink. Tentatively, being a complete stranger to alcohol, Aang took a sip before he coughed, gagging on the strong, bitter taste. Hakoda seemed to laugh heartily and honestly at this, before downing what was in his glass. "I agree, it's vile."

Aang took another sip, determined not to be beaten by a drink. "It's, ah ... interesting," he managed through his burning throat, and Hakoda chuckled once more as he refilled their glasses.

For a time they sat in an uncomfortable silence, Hakoda staring into the fire as Aang sat, palms clammy, unsure of what Hakoda wanted to say to him, and whether the chief was deliberately letting him sweat. He had taken another sip of the mezcal, so as to give himself something to do, but had regretted it instantly as the foul taste filled his mouth once more. This was not something that he would grow to love. Eventually, however, after downing his third glass, Hakoda sighed and turned to him.

"Is she safe?"

Aang was quite taken back by how abrupt the question had been. He blinked at Hakoda, a little unsure as to what the man was really asking.

"Tonrar's gone," he answered. "He can't hurt her."

"That's not strictly what I meant," Hakoda replied, filling Aang's glass despite the honey liquid that still sat inside. Aang dared not to speak, instead watching the chief intently.

"Look, I'm not stupid. I know that the world is a difficult place, and I know that things are rarely as they seem," Hakoda said at length, looking back up at Aang. "I know that what happened here today was not your fault, perhaps it was even beyond your control, and though I saw what you did when that spirit was controlling your Avatar State, I also saw you fighting against him when it truly mattered. I am not about to chase you out of town like the others want, and I am certainly not going to place the blame of my mother's death on you."

Aang flinched, and he found he was no longer able to maintain eye contact.

"But, I do know that today I almost lost the entire of my family. I almost lost my son and my daughter, and that would not have happened if they had not been with you the past four months."

Aang said nothing in response, looking down at the texture of the dark wood table.

"I know none of this is your fault, you didn't chose to be the Avatar, to have the weight of the world on your shoulders but ..." Hakoda paused, looking down at his empty glass and frowning, before sighing a heavy sigh. "I just want to know my little girl is safe."

Aang felt his heart plummet to his feet, and he shut his eyes tight. How could he tell Hakoda that she was? After what had just happened? A vision of ice bursting from the ground to her throat seared across his mind, burning him. He saw a knife pressed against her skin, he saw Tonrar holding her by the throat, threatening to strangle her. He saw the many times that she could have been killed over the past few months, even longer still, and he struggled to form an answer. He wanted to find something, anything that would deny the truth that he would inevitably come to, but his mouth seemed to answer for him, as he looked back up at Hakoda.

"No," he said, his voice shaking. "Not with me. That's what you're trying to say?"

Hakoda looked back at him, and his honest eyes were full of sadness and empathy for the boy sat before him. "She's so much like her mother," he said. "Just as stubborn, and too in love to realise that sometimes she needs to put her own safety first."

Aang's nostrils flared, his hands shaking on the table, as the truth of Hakoda's words came crashing down on him. The chief leaned forward, this time placing one of his large hands over Aang's, his blue eyes staring intently into his.

"Look, son, I- I know you love her," he said softly. "But I can't bear to see her go through all this. I can't watch her run off into the ocean to save you, to wonder every day if she's safe, to see her in this much pain ever again. I know this isn't the life that you chose for yourself, Aang but ... she does have a choice."

At these words, he felt close to faint, his mouth now dry and his head, already light from the mezcal, feeling only fuzzier. But no matter how he tried to rationalize it with himself, no part of him could deny the truth of what Hakoda was telling him.

"You're right," he managed, sounding for all the world like the young uncertain man that he was, rather than the Avatar who had lay waste to a village just hours before. "I know ... you're right."

Hakoda's hand tightened on Aang's for a moment, before he pulled away. "I am sorry, Aang." Aang could not manage to look up, keeping his gaze fixed on the mezcal still swirling in his glass. "If you need to, you can sleep here for the night. We'll sort out accommodation tomorrow." Hakoda stood, placing a hand on Aang's shoulder briefly, before he headed to the staircase and to his room, the stairs creaking as he went.

For the briefest of moments Aang felt anger towards the man. The man who had told him to his face that he did not blame him, but who had still made it clear that Katara's unhappiness was his fault. But that anger soon surpassed when he realised that Hakoda had just been voicing the thoughts that had long been swimming in his own head. Of course he knew that, when she was with him, Katara was always in danger. Be it from smaller threats, or creatures like Tonrar, life with the Avatar was not an easy one. Ever since she had freed him from the iceberg almost five years ago she had been in danger. Sokka too. But back then the entire world had been in danger, and the two of them had been willing to put themselves at risk if it meant helping Aang put an end to the War. But now? Now, as a fully fledged Avatar, he should be dealing with his own problems, and they should both be living their lives, enjoying the freedom and peace that they had missed out on in their childhood. Since the War any danger they had faced had felt insignificant, none of them had even felt real, but now, dealing with a spirit like Tonrar, he realised that the dangers were indeed very real. And it was all too clear that, at times, he himself would be the danger. If he had not been able to gain control over his Avatar Spirit at the last moment then they would all be dead now. And it would have been at his hands ...

Depsite Hakoda's offer, he realised that there was no way that he could spend another moment in this house. He stood, downing the last of the mezcal, his lip curling with distaste, before leaving the glass on the table. Not looking back he left the house, traipsing across the cold snow in the dark. If he had paused, however, had looked back for just a second, he would have seen the pair of blue eyes watching him from the top of the stairs. Katara, hiding in her room briefly as her father had gone to his, had been a the top of the stairs the entire time, listening to the exchange. And as she watched Aang leave, her jaw had jutted forward, and though her heart broke a second time, she had no more tears left to spill.

Aang woke late relatively late the next day, roused from sleep only by the bright sunlight hitting his lids. He had made his way over the the broken down hut in which Appa and Momo had chosen to sleep, and though he usually fared well in the cold, he had resorted to burying himself in Appa's fur and wrapping his robe tightly round him in order to sleep through the chill that night. Appa and Momo, it seemed, had woken long previously, for when he opened his eyes, it was to see Momo curled on his lap, bright eyes turned upward in his direction, and Appa watching him from the corner of his comforting brown ones. It was clear that his two furry companions were worried about him, and with a small smile Aang tickled Momo behind the ears.

"Thanks for watching out for me, buddies."

The snow in front of the hut was unmarked and pristine, making it clear that no one had approached him during the night or that morning, though it was already no doubt nearing ten. For a moment he felt the sting of rejection, wondering if any of his friends had even attempted to find him that night, but he quickly pushed such thoughts away, knowing he had little right to be thinking like a spoiled child after what had happened the day before. With a heavy sigh, he lay his head back against Appa's side, and wondered whether he ought to just take off now. Let Katara and Sokka mourn as they needed, let Iroh, Toph, and Suki take care of them, and return to the Fire Nation to face whatever punishment had been deemed appropriate for his actions in the capital. His stomach churned uncomfortably at that thought. Their trip to Ba Sing Sei had made it clear that the Avatar was a wanted man, and it would take some time for him to repair any of the bonds that had been broken by Tonrar's, in the end, meaningless rampage. He vowed that he would face whatever punishment waited for him with humility, the only way he could gain his honour back would be to show true repentance, but short of motivating him, he found instead that he could hardly summon the energy to even move from his position on the cold earth, rested against Appa.

His last few precious moments of quiet and solitude were soon brought to an end, however, by a loud crash and curse words spat out so colourful that he was left with no doubt as to who it was. With a grunt he climbed to his feet, his boots leaving marks in the pristine snow as he made his way up to the broken hut on the corner, around which he saw Toph, sat on the ground beside a large upturned barrel, with what seemed like dried sea prunes across her lap.

"Toph?"

"Oh, about time," the short girl snapped, climbing to her feet and dusting herself down. "I fucking hate the south pole. I actually hate it."

"It's not that bad," Aang replied, reaching forward and pulling a sea prune from Toph's hair. She scoffed at him.

"If you can see, maybe."

"What are you doing out here by yourself, then?" Aang asked, looking around at the deserted street.

"Well, I wouldn't have been out here in the first place if you weren't. Where have you been, anyway?"

"Sleeping," Aang replied with a shrug that he forgot she couldn't see.

"Katara's dad has a perfectly good floor you could have slept on."

"I just ... didn't fancy it," Aang said, somewhat awkwardly. "Just needed some fresh air, you know?" He had expected Toph to rile him again, but instead she heaved a heavy sigh.

"Yeh, I know."

He watched her for a moment, her hands shoved defiantely in her pockets and she glared out at nothing. She had never been the perkiest of the bunch, prone to fits of rage and particular savageness, but she had certainly never been miserable of pessimistic. But, ever since she and the others had met up with him before the Southern Air Temple, the metalbender had been particularly morose, and try as he might he had yet to get what was really bothering her out in the open. In a brazen moment of curiosity, perhaps inspired mostly by his desire not to think about how he was going to deal with everyone else when he saw them, he asked, "what happened with you and Satoru?"

Toph froze, her face going beet red and her eyes narrowed with a mix of embarassment and fury, and Aang hurriedly took a step back, expecting her to lash out with her fists to punch any part of his body she could reach. But, even as her teeth gnashed, she groaned, turning her head to the side.

"He asked me to marry him, ok? You done being a nosey brat yet?"

This was not the answer that Aang had expected, and certainly he wasn't sure that it warrented all of the anger and bitterness she had been harbouring the last few months.

"O- oh," Aang said lamely. Toph said nothing, and they stood in an awkward silence for a moment before Aang couldn't hold back his curiosity any longer. "But, isn't that ... a good thing?"

"A good thing?" Toph repeated, blankly.

"Well, yeh," Aang continued, still keeping a wary distance. "I mean, isn't it kinda ... sweet?"

"Sweet." Her tone remained level, but the corner of one of her eyes twitched dangerously.

"I just don't get why you're so upset?"

"Oh, well of course you don't get it," Toph spat. "You've been in love with Katara since you were, what, five?"

"Twelve," Aang corrected, trying to ignore the stab in his gut.

"Whatever, you were still a baby. And Sokka and Suki have been together forever, hell I think even Momo and Appa have got this thing going-" An angry growl came from behind them as Appa snorted irritably. "My point is you guys are all lovey dovey and probably already making wedding plans and picking out baby names ... that's not me. That will never be me. And, I guess ... I just thought ..." She paused, her face softening as she hugged her arms to herself. "I just thought he got that. But he doesn't know me at all."

"Oh, Toph ..." Aang said softly, placing a hand on a shoulder, but she shrugged it off, all vulnerabilities hidden once more and she scowled and scoffed.

"It was fun, but he ruined it," she said. "Besides, I've got more important things to think about, the first of those being why I came to find you."

She stepped back and away from him, making it very clear that she was not willing to talk about Satoru anymore, or indeed ever again, and though he wished he had been able to comfort her more, he moved on as she asked. "Why's that?"

"There was a big gathering this morning, Sokka and Katara's dad, the villagers, everyone pretty much, trying to decide whether they should kick you out or not."

" _What?_ "

"Yeh, I think it was kinda harsh too, if I'm honest. But needless to say, everyone wants you gone."

"Everyone?" Aang asked, stung, though he supposed he should have expected as much, even from Hakoda.

"Yeh, well, daddy wonder twin has to keep his people happy first, right?"

"Right," Aang muttered.

"Look, don't read too much into it-"

"How exactly am I not supposed to read into it?" Aang interupted, throwing his hands in the air. "I could be the first Avatar in history barred from the South Pole."

"Well, it could be worse, we could still be chasing Tonrar across half the bloody globe," Toph said, shaking her head. "This isn't that big a deal, Twinkletoes, they'll get over it."

Aang's frustration at how casually she was taking this matter was evident, but he bit his lip and decided against arguing with her further.

"Well, where's everyone else?"

"Back at Hakoda's place," Toph replied, turning on her heel and walking tentatively back the way she had come. "Come on, we should probably touch base."

"Do you want a hand-" Aang started, but he was shut up quickly by one of the metal hoops from the barrel slapping him hard on the back of his calf.

The short walk to Hakoda's house wasn't an easy one. With Toph stumbling half of the way, too stubborn to let Aang guide her, it was truly and excercise of restraint, and it was made all the worse by the villagers stopping and staring as he passed, some of them fearfully, others muttering among themselves and glaring, and if he hadn't been certain already by this point, it would have been made very clear that he was no longer welcome here. At long last they reached Hakoda's home, and Aang could hear raised voices inside that were brought to an abrupt stop when Toph kicked the door open. Tentatively Aang followed after her.

Tensions seemed to be high in the large living room of Hakoda's home. Sokka and Suki both sat on the round insigna rug in the center room, looking extremely awkward, Hakoda leaning against the wall by the fireplace, a fresh wave of irritation on his face whilst, across the room his daughter glared darkly at him, sat on an ottoman with her arms crossed. Iroh stood with a tray of tea that he had no doubt made to try and calm everyone down, but that he had now been deserted with.

"Miss anything?" Toph asked brightfully, walking over the to table by the fire and grabbing a handful of seal jerky.

"No, nothing," Katara said tartly. Her dark gaze fell, then, on Aang. "Where have you been?" She demanded.

"Uh, with Appa," Aang replied, taken back, and pointing back over his shoulder to the door.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard from Toph already," she continued. "The tribe-" she raised both her hands, making quote marks in the air, "wants you gone."

"Yeh, I heard," Aang said.

"And you're ok with that?" Katara asked, indignantly.

"Well, it's not really surprising, is it ..." he trailed off when he saw her gaze darken even further.

"Look, Katara, this is a delicate issue," Hakoda said. "No one really knows what's going on, or if they're even safe, I don't know what you're expecting of me but I can't tell them how to think."

Katara said nothing, but scoffed loudly.

"I get why people prefer that I'm not here," Aang said, trying to ease the friction between father and daughter, "and right now I don't want to make anything any worse than I already have. Besides which," he added, his voice raising slightly as he saw Katara open her mouth to argue, "I was planning to leave today anyway."

The group was silent at this, even Toph raising an eyebrow of surprise. Sokka, who was yet to say a single word to him since Aang had defeated Tonrar, rubbed the back of his neck.

"Why?" He asked. "I mean, I don't care what the tribe has said, you've been through some serious crap and the least you can do is rest for a for a few days."

Aang was taken back yet touched by Sokka's concern. He had fully expected the warrior to be angry with him about what had happened, particularly when it came to the death of his grandmother, but instead Sokka looked genuinely put out that Aang was planning to leave so soon. Suki, too, seemed worried, and she nodded her agreement with Sokka.

"I'm ok, Sokka," Aang assured. "But don't forget I basically escaped Fire Nation custody, I owe Zuko an explanation if nothing else. Plus, it seems like half the world thinks I'm some sort of criminal, the longer no one knows where I am the worse it's going to get."

"Zuko will understand, Aang," Iroh said softly, to which Aang nodded.

"I know he will, but we both know Zuko will have got it in the neck for this." To that, Iroh could only sigh in agreement. "It's got to be done, and I'd rather just get on with it."

Sokka looked uncomfortably across at Suki, her lips twitching empathetically, before the warrior hesitantly said, "Aang, I- we want to come with you, help you deal with everything but ... with everything that's happened here ..."

"It's ok, Sokka," Aang said, with a small smile. "I thought that would be the case anyway, and I certainly don't expect anyone to come back with me for this. I can drop Iroh and Toph in the Earth Kingdom, and then me and Appa can head straight to the Capital-"

"I'm not staying here," Katara said, and Hakoda looked quickly over at her.

"What do you mean you're not staying?" He demanded. "Katara, after what happened here are you really going to-"

"Don't," Katara said coolly, and the fog of tension dropped over the room again. "You, of all people, don't get to play that card."

"Maybe your dad's right," Aang tried hesitantly, "there's no reason for you to come to the Fire Nation, and people need you here." The look she gave him was enough to make him regret speaking, a withering glare that left him, not for the first time, downright terrified of the woman.

"Well, in case you're both forgetting, our village isn't just made of ice any more, and most of the materials we used were imported from the Northern Water Tribe, right?" Aang glanced over at Hakoda, who shared a half look back, one of his lower lids twitching. "We don't have a relationship with the Earth Kingdom as of yet, but we _do_ with the Fire Nation. More specifically, with the Firelord. Doesn't it make sense that I ask Zuko for materials, trade, equipment for repairing the village?"

Hakoda opened his mouth to reply but Sokka, clearly not reading into the deeper reason for his father and Aang offering up reasons for Katara to stay, interupted.

"She's got a point, dad," he said with a shrug. "It'll take months for anything to come from the Northern Tribe, and if Aang's going with her Katara could be back here in a few weeks."

Hakoda shut his mouth, his jaw jutting forward yet finding no way he could argue without making it painfully obvious to everyone there that he didn't want Katara going anywhere with the Avatar, and instead just nodded grimly. Aang, however, had fresh concerns. Namely how he was supposed to keep Katara out of harm's way when he was inevitably going to risk being banishment or worse, not only in the Southern Water Tribe, but in the other Nation's as well.

"I'm going to make sure everything's packed," Katara said shortly, getting to her feet and making her way up the stairs.

"Well, that wasn't awkward at all," Toph said lightly, taking Katara's place on the ottoman and lounging back, her mouth full of seal jerky. "I'd love some tea, Iroh, thanks."

As Iroh busied himself serving his no doubt cold tea, Hakoda came to stand by Aang, his hand gripping the young man's shoulder for a moment before saying, low enough for just Aang to hear, " _do the right thing_." He patted Aang's shoulder and left for the front door, letting it slam shut behind him. Aang, his stomach churning, kept his eyes on the staircase where Katara had disappeared.

It was little more than an hour later before Aang and the others began to saddle up Appa to start their journey to Fire Nation. Iroh had insisted that, although he did need to get back to his tea shop soon, he wouldn't pass up an opportunity to visit his nephew in the capital and Toph, not wanting to head back to Yu Dao for reasons that only Aang knew, had said that she would come too. In truth, Aang was relieved that he would have their company. He had yet to decide whether or not he would listen to Hakoda, and he knew damn well that it would be impossible if it was just he and Katara alone. Katara, however, seemed only to avoid him. They hardly spoke, and when they did she kept her gaze anywhere but him, and Aang began to feel that Katara truly did blame him for what happened to her grandmother. He couldn't blame her if she did, spirits knew he blamed himself, but it was still a painful experience for him.

Their leave from the south was a difficult one. For so long Aang had relied so heavily upon his friends, and despite the danger they had been in he couldn't deny that it had felt good to bring Team Avatar back together, to have one more adventure as a group, and it seemed that Sokka and Suki felt the same. Suki, her eyes looking a little red and sore, had thrown her arms around him, hugging him so tight that he had difficulty breathing, but the sentiment was more than clear.

"You take care of yourself, Aang, ok?" She said, looking at him seriously.

"I will," he replied with a sad smile. "And you, too."

Sokka, after a difficult goodbye with his sister, had then turned to Aang and, instead of the handshake Aang had expected he, too, pulled him into a hug.

"Just ... stay out of trouble alright," Sokka said gruffly.

"It's what I do best," Aang answered with a laugh, patting Sokka on the shoulder.

Just before pulling away Sokka added, in a voice low enough that only Aang could hear, "and look out for Katara, will you? She's not taking any of this very well and she's far too stubborn to ask for help."

Sokka words stung, and Aang was unable to form a response, and instead contented with nodding, Hakoda's words still ringing in his ears.

"They'll be back before you know it," Toph said, stopping Suki with a handshake as the older girl went in for a hug. "I, however, need a break from you folks."

"We'll miss you too, Toph," Sokka said, rolling his eyes.

Hakoda, who had held back, took a step fowards to pull Katara into a hug. She remained stiff in his arms, but wrapped her arms around him all the same, and Aang shifted his gaze. As the last of their supplies were piled onto Appa's saddle, Momo chittering excitedly as he swung on the bison's horn, Hakoda caught Aang's eye one last time, the smallest of a frown on his face. Aang did not respond, turning his gaze quickly back to to Appa as he jumped lightly onto the saddle with the final bag. As he placed it down he nudged the glider that he had assumed lost in the snow when Appa had crash landed. An odd feeling came over him, and he kicked he deliberately placed the bag on top, hiding the glider from view. Then, taking his seat at Appa's head and grabbing the reins, he looked back at Sokka and Suki with a nod of his head. The pair waved as, with a yip yip Appa rose from the snow and Team Avatar was split once more.

The trip to the Fire Nation was every bit as long and uncomfortable as Aang had feared it would be. Though Iroh and Toph both made for amusing and delightful companions, Katara was anything but, sitting mostly in silence, speaking only a handful of words to them throughout each day, and her stoic attitude made it all he more difficult for Aang to broach the subject of their relationship with her. Iroh and Toph, though no doubt sensing difficulties between the pair, had galantly elected to remain silent on the matter, instead keeping the group entertained with their back and forth, Iroh with his tea and Toph with her ever growing wit, and each evening would wind down with Iroh telling them a story of the war, or his trip into the Spirit World. Aang would have found the latter incredibly interesting, practically consumed the tales with interest, were it not for the snake coiling in his stomach as he tried to prepare himself and to make that night the night be finally spoke with Katara. But each time another night would pass, and the group would lie down to sleep, and Aang would watch her back turn as he then stared up at the moon above them. He'd lie awake late into the night, his thoughts a mess as he tried desperately to make sense of all that had happened and, most of all, what was right. Hakoda had made his wishes clear, and though Aang understood why he couldn't hide a growing hatred for the man in his gut, a hatred that he was ashamed of. He would lie there thinking of the times Katara had been in danger because of him, the times she could have lost her life, the pain and misery she had been through just because she was in a relationship with the Avatar, things that may have never happened to her otherwise. He thought of how their life together would be from this point ... it was something that he had thought of in the past. Back when all he had had to worry about was the continued contributions and cooperation of Yu Dao (how he missed those times) Yuddha had relished in telling Aang that he was expected to be focusing on saving his race ... bringing more airbenders to the world. Not that he didn't want a family, and spirits knew Katara did. There had been times when he had allowed his mind to drift, thinking of the little airbenders that he and Katara could have, but those wonderings had always been plagued with other considerations ... where would they live? How could he and Katara alone have any degree of normality in their lives when he was the Avatar, let alone providing any kind of stability for children. And then, there was, as Yuddha had so brashly put it, the matter of his duty to the world. That slimey man had not been wrong that their chances of having airbender children were much lower because of Katara being a waterbender, and though he was certain he couldn't start a family any other way, that it had to be her, there would always be that pressure for them. At that point, he had sighed heavily and rolled onto his side, looking over at the gentle curve of her hip as she slept soundly. He was letting his thoughts get away with themselves. This wasn't about their future, this was about now, about how safe Katara could ever be whilst she was with him. He supposed, grimly, that it may no longer be his decision anyway. She had not spoken much to him since Tonrar (and he) had destroyed her village, Katara could have already figured out for herself that being with the Avatar was too dangerous.

After a mere two hours of sleep, Aang was woken up by the sound of Toph slamming around, 'practicing her bending' though Aang assumed it was just because she had grown impatient of waiting for him to wake so they could continue. Iroh and Katara were serving breakfast, and with a grunt Aang got to his feet, his back cracking audibly as he stretched out.

"Spirits, Twinkletoes, you need to start excercising some more," Toph said, expertly carving a rock in two with a slice of her hand, and throwing one side across the camp towards him.

"I'm good, thanks," he grumbled, casting her an irritated glare as the rock landed where his head had been just moments before.

"She's not wrong, Aang," Iroh said cheerfully, holding out a bowl of rice to him as he joined them around the fire. "I dare say you've probably lapsed on the workouts since this whole affair with Tonrar began, you can't fall out of practice."

"Yeh, I'll get right to it," Aang said, his mouth already full of the rice that he had shovelled in with his fingers, rolling his eyes. In truth, his body was exhausted, and though he knew Toph and Iroh were right, he desperately needed just a little break.

"Good!" Toph cried, grinning maniacally as she chose to ignore the sarcasm in Aang's voice. "Think fast, Twinkletoes." Aang was at least pleased to see that his instincts still remained intact as he felt the chunk of earth flying right towards the back of his head, and he ducked. The muddy earth, however, flew straight into the saucepan of rice over the fire, causing it to splatter over Katara. Simultaneously, Aang, Iroh, and Toph held in their breath, looking over the see her, eyes glaring and nostrils flaring, her expression the sort that could have probably have made even Tonrar quake. Aang, expecting to see her unleash her fury upon the young earthbender, winced as she stood. However, wiping the rice from her face, Katara simply turned on her heal and disappeared off into the treeline, not saying a single word.

"Oh," Toph said, quietly. "Whoops."

"Toph," Iroh sighed, shaking his head. "Aang, you better go check that she's ok."

Aang, however, remained frozen in place, staring after her. He had to make sure she was ok, of course he did, but that would also mean that he would have to talk to her. And once he started talking to her he would have to make a choice, or maybe find out which choice she had already made, and he was not ready.

"Aang?"

He blinked, blood running cold, as Iroh raised an eyebrown curiously.

"Right, yeh." He got to his feet, and without looking back at Iroh and Toph, followed Katara into the trees.

He found her in a couple of minutes, sitting upon the stump of a long dead tree in a clearing beside a small pond in the middle of the woods. She was still, her arms wrapped around her knees, and as Aang approached he was relieved to see, at least, that it didn't look like she had been crying. His heart beat a dull thud, and his head felt light. She looked so very beautiful.

"Katara," he started, walking up to stand beside her, but she just shook her head, looking in the opposite direction.

"Don't bother, Aang," she said. "I know what you're going to say."

"You do?" Aang asked, sitting on the muddy ground, now no longer able to look at her. "Because I don't even know what I'm going to s-"

"You're an asshole, you know that?"

Aang was taken back, and just mouthed like a fish out of water. "Uh-"

"Oh, I get it, I'm supposed to give you the benefit of the doubt, right? Maybe there's some reason why you just went along with everything my dad said to you? Maybe there's a reason for you to think it's ok for you to decide my future that I'm just not getting?"

Aang took a sharp intake of breath. Katara had heard he and Hakoda that night, had heard Aang agree with everything her father had said, seen him leave the house without one word of argument.

"Do you think I'm stupid? Do you think I don't get how dangerous it is? My grandmother was just murdered and you think that I don't understand how dangerous it is being with you?" She was glaring at him now, her breathing heavy.

"No, Katara, of course I do think th-"

"But do you know what's really getting to me?" She continued, her voice raised as her eyes seemed to burn in their sockets. "It's not Tonrar. It's not him killing my grandmother, destroying my home, putting my friends at risk, it's _you_. When we got there I asked you not to follow, to stay away from Tonrar, but you didn't listen to me. Like always, _Avatar_ Aang knew best, didn't he? So in you came, thinking that you're the only one who could possibly save the day, and like we all knew would happen you fell under Tonrar's control!"

Aang swallowed, unable to look away from the scene unfolding before him.

"If you hadn't fought him off in that last second, we would all be dead right now. My dad, my brother, my friends ... I have never blamed you for what Tonrar has made you do, but that one? That time that would have been on you." She practically growled the last word, her chest heaving as she glared at him. Aang sat, looking at her, more ashamed and disgusted with himself than he had perhaps ever been, knowing that she was right, that it wasn't he being the Avatar but his own arrogance that could have caused the death of his friends. She looked at him like she expected him to respond, but he couldn't, he didn't know what he could say. With a bitter laugh she shook her head, looking away from him as her eyes began to wet.

"As if that wasn't bad enough, you decide that the best way to handle this situation is to what? Break up with me? Go it alone so that I can live a nice cushy life in the South Pole as if that's what I actually _wanted?_ "

"Katara, I hadn't decided if that's what was going to happen-" Aang began but the look on her face stopped him, she shaking her head in disbelief.

"You hadn't _decided_? Oh, well I guess I'll just wait with bated breath until the wise Aang decides shall I?"

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" Aang cried hurriedly, before he groaned. "Man, this is coming out all wrong just, please, let me explain myself."

She shook her head angrily, her eyes filling with tears again that she furiously wiped away. "I don't- I can't hear it, Aang. I can't. I have always been there for you, I have always fought for you, stood by your side, by your decisions whether I agreed with them or not, and when it comes down to it you don't have the conviction to stand by me and mine."

"Katara," Aang protested weakly, but she got to her feet, eyes angry and red.

"I can't have another person I care about leave me," she said, swallowing as her voice became thick with the tears that threatened to spill. "So, I need to be the one that leaves."

His world crashed around him, the ringing in his ears as his blood ran cold and he felt his attachment to the earth below him disappear. He couldn't manage a single word, not one protest, not even to call her name as, her body shaking with resolve and heartbreak, she walked past him. He heard her pushing her way through the trees as she broke into a run, but he couldn't form one coherant thought as he sat there mind blank and body numb. Minutes passed, hours perhaps, before he was able to drag his eyes away from the spot where she had sat, her words playing over and over again in his head and, with a choked cry he slammed a fiery fist into the broken stump.

His return back to the camp was met with guarded curiosity, Iroh and Toph both seeming uneasy as they stood beside Appa. Katara was already in the saddle, her eyes now dry and her expression calm. Aang supposed he didn't look nearly so composed, but he didn't care how he appeared to them. He had messed up the one good thing in his life and what Iroh and Toph thought of him was something he was sure he would never care about again. He walked past them, grabbing the last of the bags that lay by Appa, chucking it perhaps harder than he intended onto the saddle, making Appa grunt irritably, as tentatively Toph and Iroh followed. Aang couldn't manage even a glance in Katara's direction, not entirely sure what would happen if he found her looking back at him, and with a quick tug on the reins Appa rose into the sky and the last leg of their journey to the Fire Nation started in silence. Much as it followed.

It was mid afternoon by the time the group arrived that the Fire Nation capital, and high enough in the sky so as to avoid detection from those below, Aang's first instinct was to look at the damage that he had caused the last time he had been there. The Fire Sage Temple was, much to his surprise and relief, already being rebuilt. He sensed Katara looking too, and as the memory of her being held at knife point outside the very walls below them Aang was forced to look away from the Temple, angling Appa downwards towards the palace stood grand and imposing at the center, however they were cut short by fire bursting out from the front of the palace, and they looked down to see guards spilling out from the walls, fists angled upwards. Appa, frightened by the bright flames soaring just feet from his face, roared and tried to turn back, but his way was quickly blocked by two small airballoons appearing as if from nowhere behind them, Fire Nation soldiers position inside, fists and bows raised and pointed directly at them.

"Avatar Aang!" A voice boomed, the sound metallic and echoing. "You are a prisoner of the Fire Nation and, as such, an enemy of the state! By order of the Firelord you will surrender yourself or be met with force!"

Aang blinked, looking back at Iroh who's eyes were wide with surprise.

"Guess Sparky doesn't forgive you after all," Toph said with a shrug.

"Avatar Aang!" The voice boomed again. "You have five seconds to comply or we will have to open fire!"

"Ok, I surrender," Aang said, holding up his palms in demonstration towards the soldiers in the balloons. "Look, hands up and everything. Just, let me talk to Zuko."

"The Firelord will speak to you when he is ready."

"Ok, then let me speak to General Mamoru," Aang said, exhasperated, raising his hands further and waving them slightly at the soldiers down on the ground.

"You will land your bison and offer yourself to our custody, and then you can speak to General Mamoru."

Aang sighed. He had not expected to be particularly well received, but even he was taken back and left all the more miserable by their reaction to him. But, if offering himself as prisoner was the only way that he could rebuild anything with Zuko and the Fire Nation, then it was the only choice he had.

"You sure this is a good idea, Twinkletoes?" Toph asked, sounding doubtful. "Let's just say the Fire Nation hasn't a habit of letting their prisoners go, you know?"

"This is my nephew we're talking about," Iroh said quickly. "All this is just a formality, Aang."

"We'll see," Aang replied, and with a quick shake of the reins Appa doubtfully made his way down to the courtyard outside of the entrance to the palace. There were about twelve soldiers waiting for him and, he wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or not, General Mamoru in all her height and shrewdness, walking out to meet him, her hands behind her back.

"Dismount and keep your hands in the air!" A soldier demanded, as two either side of them drew back their arrows, keeping their sights on Aang's chest. As instructed, Aang dropped from Appa's head, his palms still raised in the air. As soon as he was on the ground, four men walked forward, and Aang's arms were grabbed, his wrists forced in front of him before being shut in a heavy pair of iron cuffs.

"Is that really necessary?" Iroh dropped from the saddle now, and General Mamoru raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Peacemaker Iroh," she said. "We did not expect you to be with the Avatar. I'm afraid this is on the Firelord's orders."

"This is ridiculous," Iroh said softly, shaking his head. "My nephew and the Avatar are friends."

"I'm afraid the Firelord and this country may not see things that way given the events that occured the last time the Avatar was among us," Mamoru said sharply, the smile she had shown him dropping in an instant, as her cold glare fell back on Aang.

"It's fine, Iroh," Aang said. At that, one of the soldiers pushed him roughly forward.

"Get moving, Avatar," he snarled. A chain was snapped onto one of the hoops of the cuffs, and Aang found himself being led into the palace. He could sense Toph's fury at this, and he looked back just as her fists clenched and he felt the cuffs around his wrist start to warp.

"It's _fine_ ," he said forcably, and with a scoff Toph crossed her arms. And then his eyes connected with Katara's, her expression difficult read and, with a heavy pained sigh, Aang turned his gaze forward.

The Firelord was stood inside the palace, standing in the center of the grand entrance, dressed not in his royal robes as he would often have been, but the armour that Aang had seen him wear into battle just once when the Fire Nation had been ready to invade Yu Dao. Zuko's scarred face was resolute, his brow furrowed as he looked upon Aang.

"Avatar," he said, his voice level and low, as his head inclined just a degree. But Aang could not mantain digression, Zuko was, after all, his best friend and it had been a long time since he had last seen him.

"Firelord," he replied, unable to hold back the smirk that suprised both himself and Zuko. It was ridiculous, Iroh was right. Of course Aang was not belittling his actions, and he was ready to pay for them, but he and Zuko had been through way too much together to adress each other in this way. Zuko, it seemed, was unable to hold up the facade much longer, because his shoulder slumped and he sighed.

"Take off the cuffs."

"But, Firelord Zuko, sir!" Mamoru cried, aghast.

"Take off the cuffs, General," Zuko said firmer and, with a glare in Aang's direction, Mamoru unlocked the cuffs, pulling them somewhat roughly from his hands.

"General, could you and your men please attend to our guests outside and find somewhere warm for the sky bison. Aang, I need to speak with you in private."

"Lord Zuko, I must insist that I join you-" Mamoru began, but Zuko raised a hand.

"No need, General," he said. "Please attend to our guests for now."

Aang was not sure whether Mamoru was a firebender or not, but he was certain that if she could be breathing fire right now, she would be. She threw Aang an open glare, making it absolutely certain that if anything where to happen to the Firelord whilst he was with him, he would meet an untimely end, and turned sharply on her heels, waving her arms for her men to follow her. Zuko waited until they were alone in the room aside from the guardsmen, and looked across to Aang.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do," he said simply, his lower lid twitching. Aang sighed.

"You're telling me."

The Avatar and the Firelord walked around the ring of the palace as they spoke, Aang explaining everything that had gone down since the very first time he had suspected something wasn't quite right in Mahi Kah all those months ago, the pair headed towards the long balconies that overlooked most of the capital. Zuko listened raptly to his accounts, eyes widening and narrowing at required intervals, and as they reached the end of the first balcony, Aang had finished recounting the fight he had had with Tonrar in the South Pole, leaving out nothing as he told Zuko just how close he had been to killing his friends. He watched as Zuko's eyes widened, the Firelord gulping audibly.

"He had that much control over?" Zuko asked, his voice hushed.

"Had," Aang agreed. "But it was the act of trying to make me kill them that allowed me to gain control of my Avatar State again."

"Aang, that's-" Zuko gestated, seeming unable to find the words. "That's insane. I didn't even realised spirits like that existed. But what about Tonrar? Are you still fighting him?"

Aang shook his head. "No. I was able to take away his ability to control the spirits, and to send him back to the spirit world. He won't be coming back."

"How can you be sure?" Zuko pressed. Aang thought back to the weakness in Tonrar's form as he fell to the ground, heard his screams once more as the spirits had surrounded him, and smiled grimly.

"I'm sure." Zuko shook his head, leaning somewhat weakly against the low stone wall of the balcony.

"This isn't going to be easy to explain, Aang," he said. "Despite my best efforts the story of what happened here quickly found its way out of the Fire Nation, and as you'd expect the story has been changed quite a lot in that time, and not one version is good. From you not caring what damage you did whilst fighting the rebellion, to you going full on bad. I'd like to think that people will be quick to accept what happened, but as you already saw with Mamoru, you're not the most popular of people right now."

"I expected as much," Aang sighed. "In truth I was half expecting you to throw me in prison and be done with," he added with all seriousness. Zuko did not laugh.

"I won't deny that I considered it," he said simply. "Spirits, it's been a mess, Aang."

"What about Yu Dao?"

"What about them?" Zuko replied grimly, waving a hand in the air. "It's as you'd expect. There's no love for the Avatar there, the Firelord neither. With all that's been going on here I've not had a chance to return, and from what I understand the coalition has long fallen and Yuddha has taken control of the city."

Aang couldn't stop the snarl from rising to his throat. "Figures."

"I'm not sure how easy it's going to be to take it back," Zuko sighed. "The Earth Kingdom, for the most part, think that we, the Fire Nation I mean, have abandoned it. There are still some who remain loyal to our cause, and to you I'm sure, but we both have a lot of work to do."

"Isn't there always?" Aang mumbled, his voice sounding more tired than he had intended.

Zuko looked sideways over at him, frowning. He seemed to sense the exhaustion in his friends body and mind, as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Well get there. King Bumi remains as loyal to you as ever, and Katara is here to represent the water tribes, our dream could still become reality."

Aang, however, visibly winced at Zuko's words, something that he was quick to notice, and he heard Zuko silenty chastise himself.

"Of course, I'm sorry, I was forgetting how hard it must be for her right now. How- how is Katara coping with the loss of her grandmother?"

"Not well," Aang replied, all too quickly. "I mean, it's not the first person she's lost."

Zuko sighed sadly, keeping his hand on Aang's shoulder. "I guess it's not. But, she's got you this time, she's probably the strongest person I know, she'll be ok."

"Yeh," Aang agreed, his voice catching in his throat. "She is." He felt Zuko looking at him, and tried to avoid his gaze, which only seemed to spur his concern.

"Are you ok?" He asked, leaning forward so that Aang could not miss his gaze. Aang swallowed.

"She, uh, she broke up with me."

Zuko's brow rose and he stood stunned.

"That's, oh ..." Zuko mouthed silently for a moment, seemingly lost for words before managing, lamely, "that's rough, buddy." Aang looked sideways at him, and Zuko shrugged his shoulder awkwardly. "I dunno what to say. But, look, it's you and Katara, you'll work it out, she'll come around, you'll see."

"Nah, Zuko," Aang said, shaking his head. "She was right to, and she's better off for it." Zuko looked away, taking his hand from Aang shoulder as the pair stood in silence.

A little later, the pair entered the throne room to find Iroh, Toph, Katara, and Ty Lee sat around the long central table, all looking over with mixed anticipation as the doors opened. Even Katara, it seemed, were visibly relieved to find that Aang was no longer in cuffs and that the pair were unaccompanied by guards.

"Aang!" Ty Lee cried excitedly, jumping to her feet and throwing her arms around him.

"Uh, hi Ty Lee," Aang said, gingerly patting her on the shoulder.

"Uncle," Zuko said, with much happiness as the old general got to his feet and pulled his nephew into a hug. "It's been so long."

"Too long," Iroh agreed, beaming widely. "Aang's out of shackles, I see?"

"Well, I figured he's got too big a mess to fix without use of his hands," Zuko replied. He turned then, to Toph and Katara.

"It's nice to see you again, Toph," he said, and Toph shrugged.

"If you say so, Sparky."

"And Katara," Zuko said gravely, "I heard what happened. I am so sorry. If there's anything I can do to help?"

Katara flashed the smallest look in Aang's direction, before nodding her head to Zuko, no smile lifting her features. "Actually, there is. The village, as I'm sure you've been told, is destroyed. The North Pole is too far, we don't exactly have a relationship with the Earth Kingdom, we need supplies and materials to rebuild."

"Of course," Zuko said quickly. "It's the least I could do."

"Thank you, Zuko," Katara said sincerely.

"We'll sort all that tomorrow, I think, for today there are other things that we need to discuss though, I understand if you would all like to rest first?"

"Too late, you've peaked my interest," Toph said. "What is it?"

Zuko looked over at Ty Lee, who pulled a disgruntled face.

"Fine," she sighed dramatically before turning and leaving the room. Zuko waited until the door was closed before he turned back to his uncle and his friends.

"As I've already told Aang, things haven't been going particularly well in the Fire Nation, or the Earth Kingdom."

"No kidding," Toph muttered.

"You've already seen some of what's been happening in Ba Sing Sei and again, uh, here when you arrived," Zuko glanced quickly over at Aang, who, rather than sitting with the others, had elected to lean against one of the tall elaborate columns that ran the outer length of the throne room. "A lot of people are confused. As far as they are concerned the Avatar has just vanished again after causing upset in the Fire Nation, and that has come with more issues than we expected." Aang frowned.

"What do you mean more issues?"

"Well," Zuko continued, shifting uncomfortably, "in the Fire Nation most people are either angry or fearful, which honestly I expected, but it is far worse in the Earth Kingdom. Some people think that you being gone means there's a free for all to do whatever they like, and the Dai Lee is having to step in to take control of the matter. I had some of my personal investigators spend some time in Ba Sing Sei, test the waters, and it seems that much of the Earth Kingdom thinks that the Avatar is biased towards the Fire Nation, that the destruction of the Temple was just a ruse to start another war between us given that it's also been recorded that there were earthbenders there that night."

"That's stupid," Toph said bluntly. "Why would they think the Avatar wants to start another damn war?"

"Because if the coalition doesn't work and there are still Fire Nation citizens in the Earth Kingdom, that is exactly what is going to happen," Aang sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Well, what do the coalition towns think?" Katara asked.

"Much the same," Zuko replied. "Although many are friends and family, things are definitely heating up between the two Nations in these towns." At that, Aang groaned loudly. "What?"

"The county halls in Yu Dao," Aang said. "It put a stop to the coalition, and I've not been seen in the Earth Kingdom since. Spirits this is a mess ..."

"It's not as bad as it seems," Iroh said. "Things have certainly be worse, and a lot of this can be fixed just by you showing your face in the Earth Kingdom again."

"You're probably going to get arrested again," Toph snickered. Aang ignored her.

"And what then?" He asked Iroh. "The coalition was tenuous as it was, it's only going to get more difficult now."

"Well then we need a different focus," Katara said, and in spite of himself Aang looked across at her curiously. "For starters people need to know exactly why Aang disappeared for so long-"

"That's a given," Aang interupted, averting his gaze once more and looking across the throne room.

"If you'd let me finish," Katara said curtly, ignoring the uncomfortable glances in the room, "people need to know why you've disappeared for so long, more specifically they need to know that it is related to the spirit world, something that put our world at great risk, and you have got to press that the world cannot fall apart should you have to deal with other matters for a few months."

"It's a fair point," Toph said, shrugging. "You can't hand hold each of the Nations."

"Exactly. I say forget the coalition."

Aang and Zuko were quick to protest at this, looking at each other in disbelief.

"Forget the coalition?" Zuko gaped. "You heard Aang say that could start a war, right?"

"I mean the coalition between just the Fire Nation and the Earth Kingdom. It was always the eventual plan, right? Well, stop messing around with a city that couldn't find salt in the ocean and deal with the Nation's as a whole. Bring each of the world leaders together, and propose that now is the time to unite every Nation."

"I dunno," Aang said doubtfully. "I don't know if anyone is ready for that."

"Well, they don't have a choice," Katara said simply. "The circumstances probably class as exception in Tonrar's case, but who's to say something else doesn't happen in the spirit world, and the next time you're gone for several months that war you're worried about happens?"

"It's not going to be easy," Zuko warned. "And there's no guarantee we can even convince everyone to come together to talk about it, but I have to agree with her, Aang. Yu Dao is gone, Yuddha has seen to that, but there's hope for a republic."

"I guess anything's worth trying at this point," Aang heaved, resting his head back against the stone.

"There's the spirit, Twinkletoes."

"Tomorrow we'll work out the finalities," Zuko said, as if that settled the matter. "Then we can look into sending word to each of the world leaders. I would say take a little longer for you guys to recover, but this is pressing, and things are getting worse as each day goes by."

"No rest for the wicked, I suppose," Aang sighed, "and we had plenty rest along the way, Zuko, don't worry about ... that ..." Aang trailed off, suddenly feeling discomfort on his skin, a sensation that cause his gut to twist.

"I'll ask Mamoru to show you and Katara to your usual rooms," Zuko continued, before he noticed the dawning horror on Aang's face and let our a dry laugh. "Oh come on, she's not that scary," he chuckled.

"No," Aang breathed, looking around him, "it's not that, it's-" he cried out, doubling up in pain as his skin seemed to sear with fire, and before he could do a single thing about it, fight against the sensation, his eyes and tattoos began to glow and, rather than going into the Avatar State as he expected, he instead found himself wrenched from the world.

Katara, Toph, and Iroh were quick to their feet, fists raised ready to fight the Avatar State, whilst Zuko looked between them in alarm, however Aang's pained form straightened and stilled, his eyes open and glowing.

"Did ... did he just go into the spirit world?" Zuko asked, eyes wide as he looked at his companions standing expecting a fight.

"Spirit world my ass," Toph growled, and she defiantly walked forwards, stone from the ground raising and encasing around Aang's feet. However, he didn't move, and Katara, her heart hammering in her chest, looked over at Iroh, who seemed equally as bewildered.

"Oi, baldy!" Toph raised a hand and flicked Aang hard against the forehead and, still, Aang did not move.

"Well, that can't be good," Zuko mumbled. "Could Tonrar summon Aang into the spirit world before?"

"Once," Iroh replied, sounding uncomfortable, "thought Aang was in a medidative state a the time, he was much more vulnerable than now."

"You're really sure Aang defeated him?" Zuko looked uncomfortable. Katara, however, was indifferent to what anyone was saying. She, too, had approached Aang, noticing how his brow subtly creased into a frown.

"Iroh, can you do anything?" She asked, looking back to him. "Go into the spirit world, see where he's gone?"

"I could try," Iroh replied, placing a hand on his chest. "Though I don't think it's possible for my spirit just yet, it's still very weak from fighting Tonrar."

"Plus, what if Tonrar's there?" Toph asked, seriously. "Iroh can't fight him again, we might lose him in there, too."

Katara swallowed, knowing that Toph was right, and looked back at Aang. She felt sick, the very thought that Tonrar might not have been defeated after all, that they would still have to fight the bastard left her realing. And though her heart was still in turmoil over their break up, and though she found herself wanting nothing more than the curl up and hide from him, to not see his face again until she could get over the heartbreak, she knew that there would be no way she could leave him if Tonrar returned.

"Is there anything else you can try?" She asked Iroh softly, looking sadly away from Aang. Iroh sighed dejectedly.

"Well, there is something. I don't hold up much hope but ... it's worth a try." He walked to the table in the center of the room, grabbing the dired tea leaves that sat in pots and cannisters, and with his fists began to crush them in a bowl. He poured a little water into the bowl, swirling and, with fire bending, heating the solution until a sweet aroma spread around the room. He walked over to Aang, holding the bowl up under his chin so that he would breath in the steam. Katara waited with baited breath, but Aang's face didn't even twitch, his composure remained the same, that deep frown on his face. After several minutes Iroh's shoulders slumped, and he placed the bowl on the floor at Aang's feet.

"There's nothing else for it," the old general said. "I'm going to have to try and go in after him."

"Uncle, don't," Zuko said quickly. "If what Toph said is true ... we can't have you both trapped in the spirit world!"

"But if Aang's trapped there I am the only one who can guide him out," Iroh replied, and he placed a hand on Katara's shoulder. She shook her head angrily, torn between her concern for Aang and her anger that Iroh would have to put himself in danger to save him again. However, after five more minutes where they watched and waiting, and just as Iroh heaved a sigh and rolled up his sleeves, Aang's tattoos began to dim, and he shut his eyes. Katara was quick to his side, and she grabbed either side of his head, turning his face to her.

"Aang!" She cried, as Aang blinked, his eyes returning to their usual storm grey. "What happened?" She demanded. "Was it Tonrar?"

Aang winced and his shoulders slumped, his hand raising and gently pushing hers away, as a look of utter exhaustion crossed his features, looking for all the world like a man who had lost his last hope. "Not quite," he managed. "No, but ... it's not over. Spirits, not even close."

Katara watched as Aang turned his back to them all and, without a word, disappeared through the large oak doorway.


End file.
